Catalog
50 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | بنك سوريا ولبنان الكبير سوريا بيروت أول كانون الثاني ١٩٣٨ مسون الرئيس معاون المدير العام SYRIE 1939 ليرة |
| Reverse description | A detailed intaglio vignette occupies the central panel, presenting a view of a domed mosque or mausoleum set within a landscaped courtyard, rendered in green and orange tones against a light background. The upper margin carries the inscriptions "SYRIE", "BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN", and "Cinquante Livres" in serif letterpress. Denomination numerals "50" appear in each corner, and an ornate geometric and arabesque border in green frames the entire composition. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban operated under French Mandatory authority, and by 1938 the political ground was shifting fast — the Alexandretta crisis was already stripping territory from the Syrian mandate, and war in Europe was a near-certainty. Notes from this final pre-war period circulated across a currency zone that would be severely disrupted within two years by the fall of France and the subsequent scramble over Vichy versus Free French control of the Levant.
Janneau & Deloche were a smaller Parisian security printer, not the dominant Banque de France establishment printers, which is worth noting — the mandate authorities were not always using first-tier contractors for these issues.