50 Piastres EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 1961-1966

50 Piastres Egyptian Pound (Issued 1961-1966)

Withdrawn from circulation following the monetary reforms that consolidated Egypt’s banking and currency infrastructure during the 1960s, this 50 Piastres note was issued under the authority of the Central Bank of Egypt, which had been formally established in 1961 to replace the National Bank of Egypt as the state’s primary monetary institution. The note’s production spanned the transitional years of the early Egyptian Republic, a period during which President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s government sought to centralise economic control and redefine national identity through institutions and official symbolism. Its withdrawal marked the end of a short but historically significant series that bridged the older National Bank issues with the fully consolidated Republic-era currency. Today it stands as a tangible document of one of the most transformative decades in Egyptian economic history.

On the front, the note is rendered in a rich plum and mauve palette, with the overall design structured around a prominent central arch motif in the Islamic architectural tradition, flanked by ornate guilloché borders along the upper and lower edges that provide both decorative complexity and a measure of security through their intricate engraved line-work. The issuing authority is declared across the top in bold Arabic script reading البنك المركزي المصري, identifying this as a Central Bank of Egypt issue. Centrally positioned within the arch, the denomination is stated prominently in Arabic calligraphy as خمسون قرشاً, meaning fifty piastres, printed in a deep reddish-brown ink that stands in contrast to the lighter background. Below this, the place and date of issue are inscribed in Arabic, referencing Cairo and the first of April 1963, situating this particular example within the 1961–1966 issue window. A manuscript-style signature appears beneath the denomination text, attributed to the Governor of the Bank, with a second printed designation reading حافظ البنك below the serial number at the lower edge. The serial number 846302 appears twice in the lower portion of the note alongside the prefix ب, printed in dark ink for clear readability. To the right of the central arch, the Eagle of Saladin — the national emblem of Egypt — is depicted in finely engraved detail, showing the heraldic eagle facing forward with wings spread, a shield on its breast bearing the national colours, and a scroll beneath bearing Arabic text, all framed within a rectangular panel. The numeral 50 appears in the upper left and lower left corners of the note, with additional small Arabic numerals echoing the denomination in the upper right. The side borders incorporate repeated architectural columns and fine vertical line engraving, lending the note a formal, authoritative appearance consistent with official state currency of the period.

The reverse is printed in a similar dark plum and brown colour scheme on a pale ground, dominated by three principal design elements arranged horizontally across the note. In the upper centre, a rectangular banner carries the text CENTRAL BANK OF EGYPT in bold, widely spaced Roman capitals, flanked on either side by the numeral 50 set within ornamental frames. To the left of centre, a large and elaborate geometric rosette medallion is rendered in fine engraving, featuring an intricate star pattern at its core radiating outward through concentric rings of Islamic geometric ornament, with petal-like lobed borders framing the entire composition. At the centre of the reverse, a decorative cartouche displays the denomination 50 PIASTRES in clear Roman type, surrounded by foliate and arabesque engraving that fills the intervening space with considerable detail. To the right, a plain circular panel with an ornate scalloped border is left unprinted, consistent with the positioning of a watermark zone intended to be examined against the light. The overall reverse design relies entirely on engraved geometric and floral patterning without figurative imagery, maintaining a formal aesthetic in keeping with Islamic artistic traditions and the conventions of mid-twentieth-century Egyptian state currency production.

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• Indicate the quantity of 50 Piastres Egyptian Pound banknotes you want to exchange
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• Your online account now shows the exchange value

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