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50 Tam
| Issuer | Government of Tibet |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue on uncoloured paper by woodblock technique, the obverse centres on a vignette of two snow lions at play with a flaming jewel, rendered in the traditional Tibetan linear style within a ruled rectangular frame. A red handstamp appears at the left margin and a black handstamp at the right margin, each applied by hand as an authenticating device. Four lines of Tibetan script inscription complete the design, conveying the note's denomination and issuing authority. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue on uncoloured paper by woodblock technique, the reverse carries a vignette of a bearded sage or arhat seated in a naturalistic landscape, attended by deer and a rabbit, with a leafy tree, clouds, a solar motif, and a stream rendered in fine linear detail characteristic of traditional Tibetan woodblock printing. The central composition is enclosed within a geometric border of repeating floral and interlaced ornamental motifs. |
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| Comments |
Tibet printed its own currency domestically, and it shows. The 50 Tam notes issued from 1913 onward were produced without the technical infrastructure available to contemporary Asian issuing authorities — no intaglio press, no security paper, no watermarks. Block printing by hand on locally made paper was the method, which means no two examples are identical in ink distribution, registration, or impression depth. Collectors treat this variability as intrinsic to the type rather than as damage.
P#5 and P#6 differ in minor typographic details, and separating them requires close comparison rather than a glance.