1 Lira

Turkey's entry into World War II was a matter of careful neutrality, but the economic pressure was immediate. The 1940–41 silver lira was minted while Ankara was simultaneously negotiating the Clodius Agreement with Nazi Germany and a mutual assistance pact with Britain and France — extracting maximum advantage from both sides. Wartime silver hoarding hit Turkish coinage hard, and issues from these two years were largely pulled from circulation and melted as the metal premium climbed.