5 Kuruş

The Banque Impériale Ottomane issued this fractional note during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, when the empire suspended silver coin payments and flooded circulation with small-denomination paper to fill the gap. Five kuruş notes were deeply unpopular — Ottoman urban populations had a longstanding distrust of paper at low denominations, and the wartime political instability did nothing to encourage confidence.

The bank stamp as the sole security feature reflects the rushed, emergency nature of the issue rather than any established printing protocol. Constantinople production kept distribution centralized, but counterfeiting of these low-value notes was a known problem throughout the issue's short life.