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1 Livre Law of August RC1332
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#68 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE LIVRE TURQUE دولت علیه عثمانیه بانقهسی قسطنطنیه ١٣٢٠ شوال Remboursable a CONSTANTINOPLE Waterlow & Sons Ltd, London Wall, London |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in olive-green on a white ground, centred on a large symmetrical guilloche rosette composed of intricate lathe-work patterns radiating from a central rectangular panel bearing Ottoman Turkish text in Arabic script. The denomination is spelled out in a curved ribbon banner above the central vignette reading 'LIVRE' and below it 'TORQUE', while circular medallions at left and right each contain the numeral '1'. The overall design is geometric and typographic, with no pictorial vignette, relying entirely on fine engine-turned guilloche work for its decorative effect. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Impériale Ottomane's wartime issues of 1916 were a direct consequence of the Allied naval blockade, which effectively severed Constantinople's access to the French and Belgian printers the bank had relied on before the war. Waterlow & Sons stepped in as an alternative, producing several denominations under these constraints — an arrangement that makes the London origin of an Ottoman imperial note during a period of active hostilities between Britain and the Ottoman Empire one of the stranger logistical facts in the bank's printing history.
The "Law of August RC1332" designation follows the Ottoman fiscal calendar, Rumi — 1332 corresponding to 1916 in the Gregorian system. The watermark is the principal security feature, as the war years left little room for more elaborate protections.