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50 Piastres
| Issuer | National Bank of Egypt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on green and pink guilloche underprint, with a central vignette of the Great Sphinx of Giza viewed in three-quarter profile, flanked on either side by the denomination numeral '50' within ornate frames. Bilingual legends in English and Arabic arc across the upper register beneath the bank title, with the promise-to-pay clause rendered in both scripts across the centre, and the date 'Cairo 1st January, 1899' and issuing authority inscribed in the lower portion. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse is dominated by an intricate guilloche pattern of interlocking scrollwork and rosettes filling the entire field. A central horizontal cartouche in Arabic script is framed by elaborate lathe-work borders, with the denomination '50' in Western numerals at the left within a circular medallion and 'قرش' (Piastres) at the right, the printer's imprint 'Bradbury Wilkinson & Co London' appearing in small text at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of Egypt was established in 1898 with a concession granted by the Egyptian government, and this 50 Piastres note is among the earliest paper it issued — P#1 placing it at the very opening of the series. Bradbury Wilkinson, working out of New Malden in Surrey, handled the printing, as they did for a significant portion of British-influenced colonial and semi-colonial banking institutions of the period.
Two signatures appear: Palmer and Rowlatt. Ernest Palmer served as the bank's first governor; Frederick Rowlatt as secretary. Notes requiring both signatures were a deliberate safeguard built into the original concession terms, designed to prevent unilateral issuance.