Catalog
10 Kurush
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876 |
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| Size | 163 × 115 mm |
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| Obverse description | The Imperial toughra of Sultan Abdülhamid II is centered within an oval cartouche at the top of the note, set against an elaborate arabesque guilloche underprint in green and brown tones. The central field carries large Ottoman calligraphic inscriptions denoting the denomination and the authority of the state treasury, framed by an ornate floral and scrollwork border that fills all four corners. The overall composition is executed in a traditional Ottoman decorative style with no figurative imagery. |
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| Obverse lettering | اوراق نقدية دولت عليه دن يالكزاون غروشلق قائمة معتبرةدر |
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| Comments |
The Banque Impériale Ottomane was a Franco-British joint-stock institution, not a state bank — it held the Ottoman government's account and enjoyed note-issuing privileges under a series of imperial firmans, the most consequential granted in 1863. This 10 Kurush belongs to the 1876 series issued against the backdrop of the empire's formal declaration of bankruptcy that same year, when the Ottoman Public Debt Commission was still years from being established and foreign creditors were growing openly hostile.
Low-denomination kurush notes from this period suffered heavy wear in bazaar circulation and are genuinely scarce in any condition. The 1876 series was printed with French and Ottoman Turkish text, reflecting the bank's dual administrative character.