Lebanese 1 Piastre

The Lebanese 1 Piastre is a small bronze coin dated 1925, issued for the State of Greater Lebanon (Grand Liban) during the period of French Mandate administration. Its most immediately recognizable feature is the round hole punched through the center, a design choice used on several small coins of the era to save metal and make low-value pieces easy to distinguish by touch.

The piastre was a minor unit of the Lebanese monetary system, a fraction of the larger pound (livre), so this coin represents everyday small change rather than a store of value. It circulated as ordinary pocket money, which is why many surviving examples show honest wear.

Both faces carry bilingual inscriptions, pairing Arabic script with Latin-script (French) legends, reflecting the dual administrative and local character of Greater Lebanon in the 1920s. The reverse frames the denomination within an ornamental wreath, a common decorative convention for stating value on minor coinage of the period.

Greater Lebanon was proclaimed in 1920 under the French Mandate that followed the collapse of Ottoman rule in the Levant after the First World War. As the new entity organized its administration, it needed its own low-denomination coinage, and pieces such as this 1 Piastre were struck in France for use in the territory.

The 1925 date places the coin in the early mandate years, when the currency was being established on a modern footing. Bilingual Arabic and French legends were standard for the period, signaling both the French administering power and the Arabic-speaking population the coin served.

Because it was minor circulating change rather than a commemorative, the piastre was produced for practical daily use. Later Lebanese coinage would evolve in design and composition as the country moved toward and beyond full independence in the 1940s, leaving these early holed mandate pieces as artifacts of Lebanon's formative period.

The single most diagnostic feature is the central hole: this is a small round bronze coin pierced through the middle, dated 1925. The obverse carries inscriptions in both Arabic and Latin-script (French) around the hole, while the reverse states the value inside an ornamental wreath.

Expect a modest, coin-sized bronze piece with the warm brown tone of circulated bronze rather than the bright silver look of a higher denomination. The holed format, the 1925 date, and the bilingual legends together separate it from the many non-holed Lebanese coins struck in later decades.

Confirm that the stated denomination reads as one piastre and that the country/issuer legends reference Greater Lebanon (Grand Liban). Do not confuse it with holed coins of neighboring mandate territories or with later Lebanese piastre and pound coins, which differ in design, script arrangement, and metal.

As a small circulating bronze coin, the Lebanese 1 Piastre of 1925 carries no precious-metal content, so its worth is driven entirely by collector demand and condition rather than by melt value. Well-worn examples are generally affordable, while sharp, problem-free pieces with clear detail and even color command higher premiums.

Condition is the main price lever: coins with full legends, an undamaged hole rim, and minimal corrosion are worth more than pitted, cleaned, or bent examples. Original surfaces and attractive bronze patina add appeal to specialists in mandate-era coinage.

For any specific coin, judge the grade honestly and compare recent sales of the same 1925 holed piastre rather than relying on a single catalog number, since realized prices vary with eye appeal and collector interest in French Mandate Lebanon.