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10 Para Postage Stamp Currency
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Printed in green on cream paper with perforated edges in the manner of a postage stamp. A central vignette presents a panoramic view of the Hagia Sophia mosque and its surrounding grounds, including the Obelisk of Theodosius, framed by an ornate border with arabesque scrollwork at the sides and crescent-and-star motifs at each upper corner. The denomination '10' appears in Ottoman script within circular cartouches at the lower left and right, with an Arabic-script inscription in a rectangular panel at the foot of the central vignette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Protection type | None |
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| Comments |
The Ottoman government's decision to overprint postage stamps and issue them as fractional currency in 1917 was a direct consequence of wartime metal shortages — copper and nickel had been redirected to the war effort, leaving no material for small-denomination coin production. These adhesive-stamp notes were not unique to the Ottomans; several belligerent powers adopted the same stopgap during the First World War.
Handling problems were persistent. Without adhesive backing removed, pieces stuck together in circulation; with it removed, the paper became fragile. Surviving examples in any condition above heavily worn are relatively uncommon for that reason.