50 Piastres EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 1967-1978

50 Piastres Egyptian Pound (Issued 1967-1978)

Surviving examples of the 1967–1978 Egyptian 50 Piastres issue are considerably scarcer than their original circulation numbers might suggest, as decades of heavy use in everyday commerce, combined with Egypt’s warm and humid climate, took a severe toll on paper quality. Notes that passed through countless hands in markets, banks, and government offices rarely emerged in anything approaching fine condition, and large numbers were destroyed upon withdrawal from circulation. The note’s architectural and pharaonic imagery, paired with its position as a transitional issue spanning both the Nasser and Sadat eras, has made it a document of genuine historical interest to those studying Egypt’s mid-twentieth-century monetary identity. Even well-worn examples are sought as tangible records of a significant period in the nation’s economic history.

On the front, the dominant central image is a meticulously engraved depiction of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, one of the most revered Islamic institutions in the world, rendered in warm brown and ochre tones with considerable architectural precision. The mosque’s distinctive minarets rise sharply against a lightly tinted background, with the main façade and courtyard arcade faithfully reproduced through fine intaglio line work. Above the mosque, the upper border is decorated with an elaborate repeating geometric pattern of interlocking star motifs executed in deep red and pink, creating a striking guilloché-style decorative band that runs the full width of the note. The issuing authority is identified in bold Arabic script reading البنك المركزي المصري, which translates as the Central Bank of Egypt, positioned prominently across the upper portion of the note. The denomination is stated in large, flowing Arabic calligraphy as خمسون قرشاً — Fifty Piastres — rendered in rich brown ink and forming the visual centrepiece of the composition. A date inscription in Arabic is visible beneath the denomination text, referencing 15 September 1971, along with the signatures of bank officials and Arabic text attributing the note to the Central Bank of Egypt. The serial number 0373551 appears in red numerals at the lower left, with the series prefix 32/6 appearing both at the lower left and upper right of the note. A small circular denomination marker of 50 in Arabic numerals is positioned within a cartouche at the lower right corner. The paper exhibits a cream-buff tone with subtle laid lines visible across the surface.

The reverse presents a bold and visually arresting composition dominated by a large engraved figure of an ancient Egyptian pharaonic statue, depicted from roughly the waist upward and occupying the right-hand portion of the note. The statue, rendered in deep purple-brown intaglio engraving, shows a standing or enthroned royal figure wearing the characteristic Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, with a crook sceptre held across the chest — imagery consistent with representations of Ramesses II or a comparable New Kingdom pharaoh drawn from Egypt’s ancient heritage. The engraving captures the formal, frontal rigidity characteristic of pharaonic sculpture, with fine cross-hatching giving the figure considerable depth and presence. Across the upper portion of the reverse, the text CENTRAL BANK OF EGYPT is printed in clear serif lettering in brown-red ink against a plain background. A broad decorative band stretching horizontally across the upper centre features a fan-like or winged solar disc motif in radiating lines of pink, green, and orange, evoking traditional ancient Egyptian iconography. The left-hand side of the note is filled with an intricate guilloché pattern incorporating small repeated floral and geometric rosettes in greens, blues, and pinks, providing a dense security background. A prominent denomination panel at the centre-left reads 50 FIFTY PIASTRES in bold brown lettering within a decorative cartouche frame. The numeral 50 also appears in the upper right corner and again in red at the lower right, ensuring the denomination is legible from multiple orientations. A light handwritten annotation in ink is visible at the lower right of the reverse, consistent with a counting or sorting mark applied during banking use.

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