Catalog
50 Piastres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919-1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Piastres (0.50 SYP) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | 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 lettering | BANQUE DE SYRIE البنك السوري CINQUANTE PIASTRES OU UNE DEMI LIVRE SYRIENNE خمسون قرشاً أو نصف ليرة سورية Remboursable au porteur en chèque sur Paris à raison de vingt centimes français par piastre Syrienne يدفع لحامله قائلاً «شك» على باريس أو قيمته الفرش السوري بثمن سنتيم باريسي CINQUANTE PIASTRES OU UN DEMI LIVRE SYRIENNE REMBOURSABLE AU PORTEUR EN CHÈQUE SUR PARIS À RAISON DE VINGT CENTIMES FRANÇAIS PAR PIASTRE SYRIENNE |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a large central guilloche medallion in red-brown tones, bearing the large numeral "50" at its centre, flanked by two ornate architectural arch vignettes rendered in an orientalist style with decorative column and wheel motifs at their bases. The Arabic bank title "البنك السوري" is inscribed across the upper margin, and the denomination legend appears in a horizontal band across the central medallion. The overall design is enclosed within a multi-layered geometric border. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie was established in 1919 under French mandate authority, replacing the Ottoman Imperial Bank as the note-issuing institution for Syria and Lebanon. This 50 Piastres note belongs to the bank's inaugural series — the first paper currency issued under the new mandatory administration, circulating in a region whose Ottoman monetary infrastructure had effectively collapsed at the end of the war.
Bradbury Wilkinson's involvement was a deliberate choice: the New Malden firm had a well-established relationship with French colonial and semi-colonial banking institutions. The piastre denominations in this series were primarily aimed at small transactions in a market still heavily reliant on coin.