Catalog
50 Kuruş
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1876 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in brown on cream paper and enclosed within an ornate scrollwork border of interlaced arabesque foliate motifs. At the top centre sits a large Ottoman tughra, with the denomination numeral '50' at the centre of the field above several lines of Ottoman Turkish script stating the note's value and issuing authority. At the lower centre, an oval cartouche carries the inscription of the Ottoman state seal, with additional Ottoman calligraphic text arranged vertically along the side margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is largely plain on cream paper, with a small circular Ottoman seal or stamp at the upper centre. Below, a rectangular red registration cachet reads 'Enregistré Par La BANQUE IMPÉRIALE OTTOMANE / CONSTANTINOPLE' with a handwritten serial number, serving as the bank's official validation stamp applied upon issue. |
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| Comments |
The Banque Impériale Ottomane — founded in 1863 under joint British and French capital as a private institution holding Ottoman state banking functions — issued fractional notes like this 50 Kuruş during a period of acute fiscal distress. The Ottoman state had suspended external debt payments in 1875, and small-denomination paper was filling gaps left by coin shortages and a contracting money supply.
The single security feature — an official stamp — reflects how rudimentary anti-counterfeiting measures were for low-value fractional issues. These circulated hard and survived poorly.