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1 Livre Law of 30 March RC1331
| Issuer | Ottoman Public Debt Administration (Düyun-u Umumiye) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set within an elaborate multi-layered arabesque border of interlocking foliate scrollwork printed in dark brown on a pale pink and cream guilloche underprint. The Ottoman tughra appears at the top center above the denomination numeral '1' repeated in ornate calligraphic cartouches at left and right. Central text in Ottoman Turkish script states the denomination and the law date (30 Mart 1331), with a facsimile signature and an oval official seal below. The printer's imprint 'GIESECKE & DEVRIENT' is visible in small letterpress at the lower left margin, and red serial numbers appear at lower left and lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a large lobed ogival medallion of dense arabesque guilloche work in pink and green, framing a central rectangular text panel bearing a multi-line Ottoman Turkish legal inscription setting out the note's legal tender conditions and redemption terms. A single facsimile signature appears beneath the text block. The surrounding field is plain cream paper, with the overall composition relying entirely on the calligraphic text and ornamental frame for its visual effect. |
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| Comments |
The Ottoman Public Debt Administration was not a bank — it was an international creditor-controlled supervisory body established in 1881 to manage Ottoman debt repayment directly to European bondholders. That it began issuing paper currency in 1915 reflects how completely the war had disrupted normal monetary channels: the Imperial Ottoman Bank, the formal note-issuer, could no longer meet demand, and this extraordinary arrangement filled the gap.
Giesecke & Devrient in Leipzig printed the series, which meant Allied-power bondholders were, in effect, circulating currency printed in wartime Germany through an institution they nominally controlled.