Catalog
100 Kuruş
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1877-1878 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ENREGISTRÉ PAR LA BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE CONSTANTINOPLE |
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| Protection type | Handstamp, Serial number |
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| Comments |
The 1877–1878 dating places this note squarely within the Russo-Ottoman War, when the empire's finances were under acute pressure and the Banque Impériale Ottomane — a Franco-British joint venture, not an Ottoman state institution — was effectively managing a collapsing treasury. Kaime paper money had already destroyed public confidence in Ottoman currency once; these notes circulated in a climate of deep distrust.
The handstamp security measure was not a refinement but a necessity: counterfeiting of Ottoman paper issues was rampant throughout the 1870s. Individual branch validation by stamp was one of the few controls the bank could reliably enforce.