Catalog
| Issuer | Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | مؤسسة النقد العربي السعودي خمسة ريالات |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
Saudi Arabia's first true national banknote series — the Haj pilgrim receipts of the early 1950s aside — this note was issued under the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, established in 1952 partly at American prompting to manage the kingdom's oil revenues without establishing a conventional interest-bearing central bank, a compromise with religious objections that shaped the agency's mandate for decades. De La Rue produced the series to a high standard, as expected, but the real constraint was political: any imagery had to clear strict Islamic guidelines, which pushed the design toward architectural and geometric solutions unusual for the period.
The Pick 7 series is frequently found with horizontal fold lines consistent with storage in traditional Saudi dress — field wear, essentially.