Lebanon Banknotes HSB Collection, 1925 to date


Set Type: Lebanon Complete, 1925-Date, Issued Notes, Complete, Including Varieties
Owner: Hassan S. Bazzi
Last Modified: 11/20/2024
Views: 1388

Rank: 1
Score: 64023
Leading by: 7512
Points to Higher Rank: N/A

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Set Description:
Lebanon Banknotes HSB Collection, 1925 to date


I am glad to share with you my collection of Lebanese banknotes from the first issue in 1925 when Lebanon was under the French mandate up to our current days. I started building this collection in 2010 when I saw one Lebanese Lira on eBay that I used to use when I was a small kid. Over the years, I kept on adding more notes and started doing research and looking for information anywhere I could. I went to auction houses in person, like Spink in London and Heritage in Dallas, and I became a regular attendee of online auctions worldwide. While I have a big international collection, my main focus remained always on Lebanese banknotes.

The main attractions of collecting Lebanese banknotes are the beautiful design used in a majority of them, and the rarity of a number of these pieces. Among the Arab countries, few Lebanese notes rank amongst the rarest in the region. In addition, since Lebanon was under French mandate (1920-1943), early issues of banknotes were commissioned by the French bank (Banque de France) to talented artists who delivered beautiful artworks. My interest in collecting these notes, and banknotes in general, has also to do with the historical and human perspectives attached to them. In addition to the monetary value of these notes at the time, I believe that each note has a story to tell. As a collector, I also look for references that help guide me and other collectors in finding useful information about the banknotes: art used, signatures, photos engraved, etc.

The publication of several books in the last two decades has helped Lebanese collectors immensely. Starting with "Standard Catalog of World Paper Money " as a benchmark reference, Muszynski and Kolsky then published "Les billets du Maghreb et du Levant" in 2002, that had a good section on Lebanese notes. The next main reference came out in 2005 by Abdo Ayoub "Lebanon Paper Money and Coins". This was the first book fully dedicated to Lebanese notes and it contained a wealth of information and data that helped collectors. Recent books include "Professional Catalogue of Lebanese Banknotes" by Ali Chour, "The History of Lebanese Banknotes 1919-1964" by Tony Anka and Wissam Allaham, and "World Paper Money, Primary and Unusual" by Hussein Maaz and Osama Chamseddine.

While it is easy to collect Lebanese notes printed after 1952, finding some of them in high grades (65+) might be challenging. Completing the Lebanese collection is impossible since some notes are not known to exist any longer. Notes printed prior to 1945 are the hard ones to find, specially those in higher denominations. There is also an increased interest in notes that display beautiful and attractive art and scenery. For example, please check Pick 1 in my collection, 25 Piastres 1925 (Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban). This is the first ever Lebanese banknote and it shows appealing ornate design on the front while the back shows the mills of Hama in Syria (Lebanon was called Grand-Liban at the time and both Lebanon and Syria were under the French mandate). This note is one of a group of uncirculated notes discovered around 2012 or 2013 in very good shape, thus the high grade (PMG 64).

A very interesting series of issued banknotes were the 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 Livres printed by Bradbury and Wilkinson in 1939, picks 26-30, for the Banque de Syrie et du Liban (Bank of Syria and Lebanon). These notes were printed in London during WWII and marked with different geometric shapes to allow authorities to cancel them if the enemy got hold of the notes during shipping from the UK to Lebanon. The banknotes were dated 1 September 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland. They issued five overprints for the 1 Livre, four overprints for the 5 Livres, three overprints for the 10 Livres, two overprints for the 25 Livres, and three overprints for the 50 Livres.

The jewel of the crown, in my collection, is the Carpet Note. This is one of the most beautiful banknotes worldwide: Lebanon's 1945 pick 53 100 Livres. This attractive note was very rapidly nicknamed Carpet Note or even Magic Carpet Note by some collectors, because it resembles real carpets. This note is sought after by collectors everywhere. Three great artists (Fel, Broutin, and Armanelli) worked on this masterpiece. The front side shows an ornate design mixing camels, flowers, birds, and jewels. Lebanese cedar and snowy mountains are on the back. A beautiful bullhead is used as as watermark.

Several notes in my collection, like the Carpet Note, enjoy Top Pop designations in the PMG population report, something I am proud of. In addition, the collection contains a good number of notes with a PMG 70* grade, the most elusive designation.

I find it very important for collectors to exchange information and to display their collections as such practices enrich the hobby. I sincerely hope you will enjoy looking at my collection.

 
Slot DescriptionGradeCert NumberScore
25 Piastres 1925 Issue P164 8070257-001 2426
Shop eBay
50 Piastres 1925 Issue P2XF 40 2260636-001 751
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1925 Issue P3VF 20 2001162-001 731
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1925 Issue P4F 12 NET 1832309-001 299
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1925 Issue P5 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1925 Issue P6 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1925 Issue P7 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1925 Issue P8 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1930 Issue P8A (non-competitive; for display, only)VF 20 NET 8054314-008 0
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1930 Issue P9VF 20 NET 2180355-001 489
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1930 Issue P10 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1930 Issue P11 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1935 Issue P12VF 25 1968748-001 497
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1935 Issue P12AVF 30 2297729-001 758
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1935 Issue P12F (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P13 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P13AVF 20 2029858-003 351
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P13B (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P13C (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P13D (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue PA13a VF 20 2185158-001 1015
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue PA13bVF 25 NET 2029858-002 508
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue PA13cF 15 2297730-001 879
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P14a (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P14b (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P14c (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 First Issue P15VF 30 2001662-028 285
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 First Issue P16VF 25 1832325-001 688
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 First Issue P17 (non-competitive; for display, only)VF 25 2164215-001 0
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 First Issue P18 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 First Issue P19 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1939 First Issue P21 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 Second Issue P22 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 Second Issue P23 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 Second Issue P24 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue P26aAU 53 8057231-009 474
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue P26bXF 45 8057864-018 288
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue P26c64 2363777-002 831
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue P26dVF 35 1832325-012 131
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1939 Provisional Issue P26eVF 30 2084067-001 131
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P27aVF 25 2029873-003 285
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P27bVF 35 2001474-010 285
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P27cAU 50 2002814-001 713
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P27dVF 25 1832325-002 285
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P28aVF 25 2297729-002 469
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P28bVF 30 EPQ 2164216-001 539
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P28cXF 45 2001980-008 867
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P29aF 15 NET 2297729-003 475
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P29bF 12 NET 2297729-004 475
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P29UNL (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P30a  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P30bVF 25 2002664-003 1647
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1939 Provisional Issue P30cF 12 NET 2029858-006 725
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1942 Issue P31 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1942 Issue P32 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1942 Issue P33 (non-competitive; for display, only)  No Note
Shop eBay
5 Piastres 1942 Issue P3466 EPQ 2084180-013 216
Shop eBay
10 Piastres 1942 Issue P3565 EPQ 8070255-005 258
Shop eBay
25 Piastres 1942 Issue P3666 EPQ 8056676-003 560
Shop eBay
50 Piastres 1942 Issue P3766 EPQ 8070255-011 510
Shop eBay
5 Piastres 1944 Issue P3865 EPQ 8070255-002 179
Shop eBay
10 Piastres 1944 Issue P3964 EPQ 8070255-007 246
Shop eBay
5 Piastres 1948 Issue P4066 EPQ 8046750-014 155
Shop eBay
10 Piastres 1948 Issue P4164 8070255-008 216
Shop eBay
25 Piastres 1948 Issue P4264 8086943-006 311
Shop eBay
50 Piastres 1948 Issue P4364 2270885-070 466
Shop eBay
5 Piastres 1950 Issue P4666 EPQ 8070255-016 268
Shop eBay
10 Piastres 1950 Issue P4765 EPQ 2084604-024 179
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1945 Issue P4863 8077280-002 1293
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1945 Issue P49aVF 25 1915853-037 572
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1945 Issue P50aVF 35 1832325-005 522
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1945 Issue P51F 15 2185158-002 489
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1945 Issue P52XF 45 8070258-003 1141
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1945 Issue P53AU 50 NET 8070258-007 1846
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1952; 1956 Issue P55a64 8069839-052 265
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1952; 1956 Issue P55b67 EPQ 1802250-013 304
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P56aAU 50 EPQ 8070256-010 311
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P56b67 EPQ 2205406-011 735
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P57a67 EPQ 2002317-014 935
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P58aAU 58 1915849-002 1447
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P59aAU 50 2260632-036 962
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1952; 1956 Issue P60aVF 35 8054315-013 183
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1964; 1978 Issue P61a68 EPQ 2019332-067 201
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1964; 1978 Issue P61b67 EPQ 1960497-053 194
Shop eBay
1 Livre 1964; 1978 Issue P61c68 EPQ 1625592-027 67
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P62a65 EPQ 8036476-004 262
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P62b67 EPQ 8076821-038 223
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P62c66 EPQ 2291234-009 76
Shop eBay
5 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P62d67 EPQ 2192359-019 41
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63a66 EPQ 8076482-015 216
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63b65 EPQ 2268945-021 151
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63c67 EPQ 2084067-002 102
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63d65 EPQ 2075067-064 151
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63e65 EPQ 2084067-004 98
Shop eBay
10 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P63f70 EPQ* 2084527-053 83
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P64a63 8075717-001 423
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P64b66 EPQ 1960497-057 384
Shop eBay
25 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P64c68 EPQ 2360773-048 50
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P65a67 EPQ 2091473-037 646
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P65b67 EPQ 2291234-053 461
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P65c67 EPQ 2291234-054 41
Shop eBay
50 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P65d69 EPQ 1818865-051 67
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P66a67 EPQ 2019339-027 758
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P66b66 EPQ 8071002-037 515
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P66c67 EPQ 2076121-031 41
Shop eBay
100 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P66d67 EPQ 8081911-074 63
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P67a66 EPQ 1537123-011 648
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P67b65 EPQ 2084067-006 171
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P67c65 EPQ 8053405-036 67
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P67d66 EPQ 2081109-050 37
Shop eBay
250 Livres 1964; 1978 Issue P67e68 EPQ 2178165-050 50
Shop eBay
500 Livres 1988; 1993 Issue P6869 EPQ 8067013-024 67
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 1988; 1993 Issue P69a67 EPQ 2178430-063 63
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 1988; 1993 Issue P69b68 EPQ 2178430-020 67
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 1988; 1993 Issue P69c67 EPQ 1960490-039 63
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 1988; 1993 Issue P7069 EPQ 2076720-077 255
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 1994 Issue P71a67 EPQ 1960491-015 119
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 1994 Issue P71b70 EPQ* 2084413-016 183
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 1994 Issue P7268 EPQ 8089901-020 314
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 1994 Issue P7369 EPQ 2019158-027 595
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 1994 Issue P7468 EPQ 2019158-036 739
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 1998-99 Issue P7569 EPQ 2191095-040 106
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 1998-99 Issue P7668 EPQ 8088634-028 255
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 1998-99 Issue P7767 EPQ 2184548-071 463
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 1998-99 Issue P7867 EPQ 1960495-062 635
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2001 Issue P7969 EPQ 2183772-038 201
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 2001 Issue P8168 EPQ 8086894-003 339
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2001 Issue P8267 EPQ 2019158-018 484
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2001 Issue P8367 EPQ 1963311-096 618
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 2004 (ND 2006) Issue P84a69 EPQ 1963336-038 67
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 2004 (ND 2006) Issue P84b69 EPQ 1963336-047 67
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2004 Issue P85a65 EPQ 1832325-006 59
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2004 Issue P85b69 EPQ 2092818-073 67
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 2004 Issue P86a70 EPQ* 2081250-047 137
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 2004 Issue P86b69 EPQ 2179019-046 201
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 2004 Issue P8768 EPQ 2090626-078 409
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2004 Issue P8870 EPQ* 2514933-036 530
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2004 Issue P8970 EPQ* 2514932-018 2264
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 2011 Issue P90a67 EPQ 1963323-014 41
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 2011 Issue P90b70 EPQ* 2019320-057 102
Shop eBay
1000 Livres 2011 Issue P90c69 EPQ 1963338-006 67
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2011 Issue P91a68 EPQ 1626356-050 450
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2011 Issue P91b70 EPQ* 2019320-061 751
Shop eBay
5000 Livres 2011 Issue P91c68 EPQ 2515833-002 450
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 2011 Issue P92a69 EPQ 1963336-013 262
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 2011 Issue P92b69 EPQ 2076379-072 262
Shop eBay
10,000 Livres 2011 Issue P92c69 EPQ 2178101-033 262
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 2011 Issue P93a70 EPQ* 2178430-094 454
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 2011 Issue P93b68 EPQ 8071002-089 255
Shop eBay
20,000 Livres 2011 Issue P93c68 EPQ 8089317-035 255
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2011 Issue P94a68 EPQ 8031800-024 477
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2011 Issue P94b66 EPQ 1619518-063 366
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2011 Issue P94c70 EPQ* 2081051-054 700
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2011 Issue P94d68 EPQ 2078932-001 409
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95a67 EPQ 2019104-050 653
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95b68 EPQ 2292100-100 715
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95c68 EPQ 8077983-019 715
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95d70 EPQ* 2092028-037 1156
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95e68 EPQ 2191820-040 715
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2011 Issue P95f67 EPQ 2110351-083 653
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2013-2014 Commemorative Issue P9669 EPQ 1963007-061 879
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2013-2014 Commemorative Issue P9769 EPQ 2081133-005 539
Shop eBay
50,000 Livres 2015 Issue P9870 EPQ* 2182015-032 1197
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2020 Issue P99a70 EPQ* 2257216-046 1156
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2023 Issue P100a68 EPQ 2171643-019 715
Shop eBay
100,000 Livres 2023 Issue P100b69 EPQ 2203014-024 847
Shop eBay

All Set Notes/Scores

To follow or send a message to this user,
please log in