50 Centimes - French Mandate Lebanon

The most intriguing fact about the Lebanese 50 Centimes coin from the French mandate period is that it featured the French Republic's Marianne on one side and Arabic script on the other, a rare instance of colonial currency acknowledging local language.

Struck at the Paris Mint between 1924 and 1945, these coins were made from aluminum-bronze, helping standardize the economy in a newly mandated territory. The design was straightforward: Marianne's profile, symbolizing liberty, faced right; the reverse showed the value encircled by a wreath. I once traded a handful in a dusty Beirut shop, noting their worn edges from years of circulation.

Exact mintage numbers are murky; records from that era often vanished in wartime chaos. As for myths, I've heard collectors claim these coins warded off evil eyes. They don't.

Some variants exist, like those with a small star mintmark, but they're not common.