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10 Tam
| Issuer | Government of Tibet |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Tam (10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in red on yellow-toned handmade paper, the obverse carries a central lion vignette flanked by four lines of Tibetan script. A red official stamp appears at left and a black official stamp at right, both applied by hand over the printed design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in red on yellow-toned handmade paper, the reverse is entirely covered by a dense, all-over floral and foliate diaper pattern enclosed within a double-line rectangular border, with elaborate scrollwork corner ornaments in the same red ink. |
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| Comments |
Tibet's government-issued paper currency was produced domestically using woodblock printing — a technique entirely at odds with the intaglio and letterpress methods then standard across most of Asia. The 10 Tam is among the earliest notes from this series, issued following the 13th Dalai Lama's return from exile after the Qing garrison was expelled from Lhasa in 1913. That political rupture, not any banking reform, is why these notes exist at all.
Woodblock production introduced significant variation between individual impressions. Ink distribution, pressure, and paper quality were inconsistent enough that no two examples are truly identical, which complicates any strict condition grading.