Catalog
500 Lira
| Issuer | Central Bank of Turkey |
|---|---|
| Year | 1927 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Lira (500 TRL) |
| 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 | Portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk positioned to the right, with a vignette of the Gökmedrese (Blue Seminary) in Sivas to the left. The note carries bilingual inscriptions in Ottoman Arabic script and French within an ornate border with guilloche underprint work. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette presents a panoramic cityscape view of Sivas, set within an elaborate arabesque frame with guilloche border work printed in deep carmine-red. The denomination appears in both French ('LIVRES TURQUES 500') to the lower left and Ottoman Arabic numerals (٥٠٠) to the lower right, with the issuer's name in Arabic script across the top. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
Turkey's earliest post-Ottoman paper currency series was issued under considerable political pressure to assert the new republic's financial independence from foreign-controlled banking arrangements that had dominated the late Ottoman period. The Central Bank itself wasn't formally established until 1930, meaning this 1927 note was technically issued under transitional monetary authority — a detail the catalog reference alone won't clarify.
De La Rue's involvement was pragmatic: the young republic lacked domestic intaglio capacity and contracted London for quality and security. The 500 Lira denomination was the highest in this series, putting it well outside everyday commerce — these moved between institutions, not hands.