25 Piastres EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 1980-1984

25 Piastres Egyptian Pound (Issued 1980-1984)

In Egypt during the early 1980s, a 25 piastres note — worth one quarter of an Egyptian pound — was a coin of everyday commerce, commonly used by workers, market traders, and students for small transactions such as bus fares, street food, and modest household purchases. At a time when wages for many Egyptians were measured in piastres rather than whole pounds, this denomination circulated constantly and widely. It represented a practical, workhorse denomination of the Egyptian monetary system, worn smooth in pockets and passed across counters many thousands of times daily. Withdrawn from circulation, the note now serves as a tangible record of Egypt’s economic life in the early Republic period.

On the front, the dominant central image is a finely engraved depiction of Al-Rifa’i Mosque in Cairo, rendered with remarkable architectural precision — its grand arched entrance, decorative façade, and tall, ornately tiered minaret rising prominently against the background. The engraving captures the stonework, arched windows, and domed roofline of this celebrated nineteenth-century structure with the careful line work characteristic of intaglio printing. Surrounding the mosque is an elaborate geometric tile pattern drawn from Islamic decorative tradition, rendered in soft blues, greys, and terracotta tones, filling much of the note’s upper and side fields with interlocking arabesque and star-form motifs. To the upper right, a stylised radiating floral or starburst design adds further decorative texture. The issuing authority is identified in Arabic script as البنك المركزي المصري — the Central Bank of Egypt — printed in bold lettering across the upper portion of the note. Below this, the denomination is stated in Arabic script reading خمسة وعشرون قرشاً, meaning twenty-five piastres. The numeral 25 appears in the upper right corner and again in the lower left in a bold serif style. A serial number, printed in blue, runs across both the upper and lower portions of the note. A signature identified as that of the Governor (المحافظ) appears in the lower right field. The overall colour palette is subdued, combining cool grey-green tones with the blue serial numbers and the warm geometric patterning, producing an appearance of restrained official elegance.

The reverse presents a clean, formally composed design centred on the Eagle of Saladin, the national emblem of Egypt, engraved within a circular medallion. The eagle is depicted facing forward with wings spread, bearing a shield on its chest divided in the colours of the Egyptian flag — black, white, and red — and clutching a scroll beneath its talons bearing the Arabic inscription جمهورية مصر العربية, meaning the Arab Republic of Egypt. The central medallion is surrounded by fine guilloché lathe-work in overlapping circular patterns rendered in green and purple tones, creating a visually complex security background. Flanking the central emblem are sprays of wheat ears on either side, along with what appear to be cotton plants and maize, representing Egypt’s principal agricultural products. The text “Central Bank of Egypt” is printed in English in dark ink along the upper portion of the reverse, while “TWENTY-FIVE PIASTRES” is stated in full English text along the lower edge in bold capital lettering. The numeral 25 appears in the lower left and within a rectangular panel in the upper right corner. The background throughout the reverse is filled with fine wave-form guilloché security printing in grey, providing both visual depth and counterfeit resistance.

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