Catalog
10 Kurush
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855-1857 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain, largely unprinted reverse on aged paper showing fold lines consistent with circulation. Two oval hand-applied ink seals appear at centre: an upper circular seal and a lower elongated oval seal, both bearing Ottoman calligraphic inscriptions in black ink, serving as authentication stamps. |
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| Protection type | Seal |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to the Kaime series, the Ottoman Empire's first sustained experiment with paper currency — introduced in 1840 as an interest-bearing instrument, then progressively debased into simple fiat notes as the treasury ran dry financing the Crimean War. By the mid-1850s, the Kaime had lost significant public trust, and the government was already negotiating the foreign loans that would eventually render the series obsolete.
The seal impression served as the primary authentication device at a time when Ottoman printing infrastructure was rudimentary. Forgery was a persistent problem throughout the Kaime's circulation life.