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1/4 Livre Law of 22 December RC1331
| Issuer | Ottoman Public Debt Administration (Düyun-u Umumiye) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in brown and green on cream paper, dominated by an intricate arabesque guilloche underprint in green that fills the central field. The imperial tughra of Sultan Mehmed V appears at the top centre above the Ottoman state title in ornate calligraphic script, with the denomination fraction 1/4 rendered in circular guilloche cartouches at upper left and upper right. The series designation 'SÉRIE A' is letterpress-printed at the left margin, with the serial number at the right, and the central panel carries the authorising law text dated 22 Kânunuevvel 1331 in Arabic script along with the promise-to-pay clause and a manuscript signature at the foot. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, presenting a plain cream-coloured paper surface with no design elements, text, or ornamentation, consistent with the emergency wartime production standards of this issue. |
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| Comments |
The Düyun-u Umumiye — the Ottoman Public Debt Administration — was technically an international creditor body, not a bank, yet it began issuing emergency currency in 1915 when the wartime collapse of coin circulation left the empire without a functioning small-denomination medium of exchange. The legal authority for these notes traces to a specific imperial decree rather than any banking legislation, which is why the law date appears on the face in place of a conventional banking charter reference.
The quarter-livre denomination targeted everyday transactions that the larger Banque Impériale Ottomane issues couldn't serve. Heavily circulated examples are the norm — these notes passed through many hands in a short time.