Catalog
20 Kuruş
| Issuer | Ottoman Treasury (Hazine-i Devlet) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855-1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Kuruş |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black on cream paper within an ornate geometric border of interlaced strapwork characteristic of Ottoman decorative art. At the upper centre, a large circular sunburst vignette — likely intended as a blind stamp or seal area — is enclosed by a crescent motif below it, rendered in fine radiating lines. The central field is divided into several cartouches bearing Ottoman Turkish calligraphic inscriptions in naskh and tughra-influenced scripts, with two oval seal-type panels at the lower centre flanking the denomination text. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is largely plain, printed on the same cream paper stock, with no elaborate border or printed design. A single circular Ottoman seal stamp, hand-applied in black ink, appears slightly left of centre, bearing Arabic-script calligraphic text within a decorative circular frame. The remainder of the surface is unprinted, consistent with early Ottoman kaime issues of this period. |
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| Comments |
These notes were issued under the Kaimime system — Ottoman paper money carrying an implicit promise of convertibility that the Treasury struggled to honor almost from the start. The 1840s and 1850s issues were chronically over-issued relative to the metallic reserve, and public confidence in them was fragile throughout their circulation life.
The Hazine-i Devlet issues of this period predate the establishment of the Ottoman Bank in 1856, which was specifically chartered in part to impose discipline on exactly this kind of Treasury note proliferation. Survivors from this window are scarce; most circulated hard in a period of Crimean War expenditure and fiscal strain.