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Auction: 17009 - World Banknotes
Lot: 1541

National Bank of Egypt, obverse and reverse archival photographs showing designs an entire 1913 series, comprising 10 piastre reverse, 50 piastre obverse (2), £1 obverse (2) and reverse (2), £5, obverse and reverse, £10 obverse (2) and reverse (2), £50 obverse and reverse and £100 obverse, all black and white
(Pick unlisted), A 10 piastre note was never issued for the National Bank, but this reverse is almost the same as the 25 piastres of 1913. the Egyptian Government took over the issuing of small change notes in 1916, which may be why this note was scrapped, or adapted. The 50 piastres designs are not actually identical, as they have very different underprints. The second example was used, the first was not. The £1 designs were almost entirely used on the note issued a year later. The only difference is that the camel was replaced by temple ruins. This camel was used on the previous issue of the £1 but never again. This £5 design is again identical to that used in 1913, but it shows the central vignette used on the previous issue. This was later replaced with a new one showing feluccas and pyramids. The £10, as with the others above, shares most design elements with the note issued. The felucca was replaced by a street scene with background minaret on the final design. The designers had clearly been given the brief to simply use the existing imagery and design a new note around it. This imagery was later changed. The £50 here eventually pictured Mameluke tombs and a camel caravan. The £100 is the only design from this series to be almost entirely identical to the note which was issued. The Citadel in Cairo at centre and all the design and text placement are the same, with only the outer border different in any way. Mostly quite faded and water damaged, but these images are a treasure trove of information, regardless of condition (16)

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Sold for
£1,200