50 Piastres EGY Banknote (Kingdom / Early Republic) 2017

50 Piastres Egyptian Pound (Issued 2017)

Egypt’s economy in 2017 was sustained by a diverse range of activity spanning tourism, Suez Canal transit revenues, remittances from Egyptians working abroad, and the export of petroleum products, textiles, and agricultural goods. The 50 Piastres denomination, whilst modest in face value, circulated widely in everyday commerce, facilitating retail transactions, transport fares, and small-scale trade across the country’s busy urban and rural markets. Issued by the Central Bank of Egypt on 2017/1/3 as confirmed by the date printed on the note, this banknote reflects the continuity of Egyptian currency design traditions that draw simultaneously on Islamic architectural heritage and ancient Pharaonic civilisation.

On the front, the dominant visual element is a finely detailed engraving of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, one of the oldest and most distinguished centres of Islamic learning in the world, rendered in dark olive-green and grey tones against a pale green and lilac background. The mosque’s minarets rise prominently on the right side of the design, with the courtyard facade depicted in careful intaglio-style line work that captures the archways, domes, and decorative stonework of the structure with considerable precision. To the upper right, an oval cartouche contains the numeral “50” in bold Arabic-style numerals, framed by intricate geometric patterning. The issuing authority is identified in Arabic script as البنك المركزي المصري — the Central Bank of Egypt — printed in clear bold lettering across the upper portion of the note. Below this, the denomination is written in Arabic as خمسون قرشاً, meaning “Fifty Piastres”, accompanied by additional Arabic text identifying the governor’s signature line and the word المحافظ. The serial number ٣١٩/٤١٣٣٣١٠٢ appears in Arabic-Eastern numerals both across the upper left and repeated along the lower right margin of the note. A date of 2017/1/3 is printed in Latin numerals beneath the denomination text. To the lower left, the numeral “50” appears again in a bold serif typeface within a square panel. A colour-shifting or optically variable element marked “50” in blue-green ink is visible in the lower central area, likely serving as a security feature. The overall colour palette of the front combines soft sage green, pale lavender, and warm cream tones, with guilloché rosette patterns and fine wave-line backgrounds providing texture across the unprinted areas. A microprinted serial number appears again along the lower edge, and the paper itself carries a faint watermark area visible to the left of the mosque design.

The reverse of the note is printed primarily in shades of pale green, olive, and amber-gold, and presents a striking central figure rendered in dark engraved intaglio: a stylised ancient Egyptian deity or royal figure shown in a frontal stance, wearing an elaborate double crown composed of a tall flat-topped element with a solar disc and flanking feathers or plumes, identifying the figure as Ramesses II or a generalised royal Pharaonic representation consistent with Egyptian banknote iconography of this series. The figure holds crossed regalia across the chest — a crook and flail — the traditional symbols of Egyptian kingship, and wears a broad collar necklace with detailed beadwork rendered in fine line engraving. To the right of the central figure, a stylised ancient Egyptian boat or solar barque is depicted in profile, its curved prow and decorative stern rising elegantly, accompanied by vertical ruled bands in amber-gold that divide the design zones. In the lower right corner, a small rectangular cartouche contains hieroglyphic-style inscription elements. To the left of the figure, an ornate fan or palm-frond motif is engraved in green line work, and behind it, a faint background scene rendered in very light green depicts what appears to be a procession or architectural scene from ancient Egypt. The text “Central Bank of Egypt” is printed in English along the top of the reverse in a clean serif typeface, followed directly below by “FIFTY PIASTRES” in spaced capital letters. The numeral “50” appears in large bold figures at the lower left, and again within an oval frame at the upper right corner of the note. The border of the reverse carries a repeating geometric pattern in olive green, and fine guilloché line work fills the background fields throughout.

Webuyallcurrency.com makes it easy to exchange old coins and banknotes — a 50 Piastres Egyptian Pound banknote from Egypt is accepted with other current Egyptian Pounds banknotes and converted into cash in one go.

• 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

Whether you want to sell foreign coins and notes or exchange leftover currency from past trips, Webuyallcurrency.com accepts Egyptian Pounds banknotes alongside modern money and settles everything in a single, easy transaction.