Catalog
100 Kuruş
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876-1878 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Kuruş |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in pale olive-grey on plain cream paper and is largely unadorned. At upper centre, a circular medallion carries an intricate Arabic calligraphic inscription. Below it, an oval registration stamp of the Banque Impériale Ottomane reads 'ENREGISTRÉ PAR LA BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE / CONSTANTINOPLE' enclosing the serial number and a date. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Official stamp |
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| Comments |
The Banque Impériale Ottomane's small-denomination paper issues of the mid-1870s emerged from a genuine fiscal emergency. The Ottoman state had defaulted on its external debt in October 1875, and the government's reliance on kaimé — state-issued paper money of notoriously poor repute — had so eroded public confidence that even small transactions in paper were treated with suspicion. These notes were part of a broader attempt to reintroduce credible paper at the lower end of the market, backed by the prestige of the Anglo-French bank rather than the treasury.
The sole security feature being an official stamp tells you something about both the printing technology available and the trust model in use — authentication by mark rather than by engraving complexity.