Catalog
10 Kuruş
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876-1878 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed on plain white paper with sparse design elements. A circular Ottoman seal stamp in black ink appears at the upper centre, with faint Arabic-script text rendered as a light underprint beneath. At the foot of the note, a rectangular registration stamp records the issuing authority and place of registration, accompanied by a handwritten serial number entry. |
| Reverse lettering | Enregistré par la BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE CONSTANTINOPLE 1876 |
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| Comments |
This tiny-denomination note was issued during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, when the Ottoman treasury was under severe strain and small-change shortages made fractional paper currency a practical necessity rather than a policy choice. The Banque Impériale Ottomane — itself a Franco-British joint venture, not a state institution — was pressed into filling a gap that metallic coinage could no longer cover as silver and copper were hoarded or melted.
The sole security feature is an official stamp, which made these notes trivially easy to counterfeit and almost certainly contributed to rapid withdrawal from circulation once the war ended.