Catalog
20 Kuruş Second 'Kaime' issue
| Issuer | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876-1877 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in red-brown on cream paper within an ornate floral and foliate letterpress border framing the entire note. The imperial toughra of Abdülhamid II appears at the top centre, above the denomination numeral '20' and several lines of Ottoman Turkish script stating the note's legal tender status. A rectangular registration stamp of the Imperial Ottoman Bank is applied at the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ناظرِ ماليه Enregistré Par la BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE CONSTANTINOPLE 1877 (Translation: Minister of the Treasury Registered by the Imperial Ottoman Bank Constantinople) |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The "kaime" (from Arabic *qā'ima*, a standing document or list) had a troubled history in Ottoman finance going back to 1840, when the first issues were used to fund Mahmud II's military reforms. By the time this second kaime series was issued in 1876–77, the empire was financially exhausted — state bankruptcy had been formally declared in October 1875, and the simultaneous crises of Balkan uprisings and the approaching war with Russia left the treasury with few options beyond paper.
Forced circulation was necessary; the public's distrust of kaime notes was deeply rooted and historically justified, as earlier issues had depreciated catastrophically. This series fared no better.