50 Piastres EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 1952-1960

50 Piastres Egyptian Pound (Issued 1952-1960)

In mid-twentieth century Egypt, fifty piastres represented half an Egyptian pound — a meaningful sum for everyday transactions such as purchasing food at market, paying for short-distance travel, or covering modest household expenses in both urban Cairo and rural communities along the Nile. This denomination circulated during one of the most transformative periods in Egyptian history, bridging the final years of the monarchy under King Farouk and the early years of the republic that followed the 1952 revolution. It was the kind of note that tradespeople, civil servants, and working families would have handled regularly, making it a genuine artefact of daily Egyptian economic life. The note was issued under the authority of the National Bank of Egypt, which held responsibility for currency issuance during this transitional era.

On the front, the dominant feature is a finely engraved portrait of the Great Sphinx of Giza, rendered in profile and positioned to the right-hand side of the note within a rectangular panel framed by engraved line borders. The Sphinx is depicted with considerable detail, capturing the characteristic headdress and serene facial expression of this ancient monument, and the engraving conveys a strong sense of depth and shadow. The overall colour of the front face is a warm reddish-brown, consistent across the text, decorative elements, and imagery. The upper portion of the note carries the name of the issuing institution in Arabic script — البنك الأهلي المصري, the National Bank of Egypt — set in prominent lettering within a cartouche at the top centre. Beneath this, lines of Arabic text carry the formal legal inscription authorising the note, with a date reference visible that reads 25 June 1898, denoting the bank’s founding charter date. The large denomination numeral ٥٠ appears at the upper left and upper right corners in Arabic-Indic numerals, matched by the Western numeral 50 in the lower corners. The denomination is also spelled out in bold Arabic script — خمسين قرشاً, meaning “fifty piastres” — in a central panel surrounded by intricate guilloché patterning that fills the background of the note with fine rosette and lattice designs. To the left of centre, a large ornate circular panel with a lobed, multifoil border sits empty, functioning as a watermark zone. The serial number 814817 appears multiple times across the note, accompanied by a series designation reading ٢٢ (22). A signature line is visible at the lower centre, with an ink signature above the printed title indicating the signatory authority. Further Arabic text near the base references Cairo and a date — القاهرة في 29 يونيو 1957 — placing the note’s printing within the 1957 issuance period. Additional small text at the lower right includes the words البنك الأهلي المصري once more, reinforcing the issuing authority.

The reverse of the note is printed in the same warm reddish-brown palette and presents a richly detailed central vignette depicting the Temple of Philae, the celebrated ancient Egyptian temple complex situated on an island in the Nile near Aswan. The temple’s colonnaded façade and pylons are rendered in fine intaglio-style engraving, with palm trees visible rising above and to the right of the structure, and the suggestion of water and a small sailing vessel — a traditional felucca — in the foreground, evoking the Nile setting of the temple. Flanking the central vignette on both the left and right sides of the composition are two crouching ram-headed sphinxes, also engraved with considerable sculptural detail, their forms creating a formal, symmetrical frame around the temple scene. At the top centre of the reverse, the name NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT is printed in clear serif Roman lettering, rendered in the same reddish-brown ink. The denomination “50 PIASTRES” appears at the upper left and upper right in matching serif capitals. To the far left, a large circular guilloché rosette panel is visible, its intricate geometric patterning providing an anti-counterfeiting decorative element. A corresponding circular panel to the right appears lighter, consistent with the watermark area visible through the paper. The background of the reverse carries fine line engraving throughout, adding texture and security to the overall design. The paper shows natural ageing consistent with genuine circulation wear from the period.

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• Indicate the quantity of 50 Piastres Egyptian Pound banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

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