Catalog
1 Piastre
| Issuer | Dette Publique Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | دیون عمومیه عثمانیه ٢٣ مارت ١٣٣٢ ١ غرش |
| Reverse description | Green-grey reverse with a central oval vignette of a Nile or Levantine riverside landscape with palm trees and figures, enclosed within an intricate guilloche border. A block of Ottoman Turkish text in multiple lines occupies the right half of the note. A serial number and series letter appear in the lower centre, printed in dark ink against the light ground. |
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| Comments |
The Dette Publique Ottomane — the Ottoman Public Debt Administration — was a European-controlled body established in 1881 to manage debt repayment to foreign creditors after the empire's 1875 default. That a debt administration office was issuing currency by 1916 reflects how severely the war had strained orthodox Ottoman financial institutions. The Sublime Porte effectively delegated small-denomination note production to whatever administrative apparatus could handle it.
The 1 Piastre denomination targeted everyday retail transactions at a moment when metallic coin had largely vanished from circulation, hoarded or melted across the empire's contracting territory.