Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Qirsh / Piastres Essai
| Issuer | Syria |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays the denomination in both Western Arabic numerals '5' and Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral '٥' flanking a central spray of two wheat ears, symbolising agricultural prosperity. The French legend 'CINQ PIASTRES' arcs across the upper field, while the Arabic inscription 'خمسة غروش' (five piastres) appears in flowing calligraphy across the lower field. The word 'ESSAI' (trial) is inscribed in small Latin letters at the base of the design, identifying this piece as a pattern or trial strike. As on the obverse, the design is framed by an elaborate arabesque border of interlaced geometric and foliate ornament. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Syria's 1926 coinage was produced under the French Mandate authority, with dies cut at the Paris Mint. Essai pieces like this one were struck as pattern submissions for official approval — a standard step in the French monetary bureaucracy before production coinage was authorized. The mandate administration was still consolidating its currency framework following the collapse of Ottoman monetary infrastructure, and Paris retained full control over what denominations would enter circulation and in what form.
Lec#22 places this among a small family of 1926 aluminium bronze essais that rarely surface outside specialist sales.