Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 38 × 25 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | بنك عثماني (Ottoman Bank) — upper area; overprints in black Ottoman script indicating denomination; additional Ottoman Turkish inscriptions in the lower panel. |
| Reverse description | Unifacial; the reverse is plain, unprinted buff-pink cardboard with a slightly textured surface and perforated edges visible on all sides, bearing no design, text, or markings. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Turkey's wartime shortage of metal coinage during World War I drove the Ottoman government to issue encased and printed postage stamp money — this 10 Para piece being among the smallest denomination cardboard notes produced under that program. The practice was not unique to the Ottomans; Germany, France, and Russia all resorted to similar expedients, but the Ottoman series is notable for its exceptionally thin legal foundation and the speed with which it was adopted.
Cardboard examples from this series are notoriously prone to corner splitting along the short edges, a structural weakness inherent to the stock used.