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2 1/2 Livre Law of 4 February RC1332
| Issuer | Imperial Ottoman Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in shades of carmine-red and pale blue-green on cream paper, enclosed within a multi-layered arabesque border with large circular medallions at the lower corners bearing stylised floral motifs. The central field carries a lengthy Ottoman Turkish legal text in cursive naskh script setting out the note's legal tender status and conditions of issue, surmounted by a light guilloche underprint. The denomination '2½' appears in the upper left and upper right corners, and a manuscript signature attributed to the president of the issuing authority appears below the main text block. |
| Reverse lettering | ٢½ رئيس ديون عمومية عثمانية دائره سنه |
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| Comments |
The Imperial Ottoman Bank's wartime series was printed in Berlin because the Allied naval blockade had severed Istanbul's prewar access to its usual French and British printers — notably the Banque's longstanding relationship with Waterlow & Sons. The Reichsdruckerei contract was a direct consequence of the Ottoman-German military alliance formalized in 1914, and the shift in printer is itself a readable artifact of that political realignment.
The "Law of 4 February" designation refers to the Ottoman fiscal legislation authorizing the emission — a dating system rooted in the Rumi calendar, with RC1332 corresponding to 1916 CE. P#100 sits within a broader wartime emission that suffered significant postwar devaluation as the empire collapsed.