10 Tam

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.