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2 Medjidies d'Or
| Issuer | Banque Impériale Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863 |
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| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central oval guilloche vignette containing Ottoman Arabic inscriptions, with the numeral '2' at left and right within decorative cartouches. Additional Ottoman script text is arranged in horizontal registers above and below the central vignette. The note shows evidence of cancellation perforations consistent with the obverse annulation, and the French legend 'Remboursable à CONSTANTINOPLE' appears in mirror at the lower portion. |
| Reverse lettering | Remboursable à CONSTANTINOPLE 2 MEDJIDIES D'OR |
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| Comments |
The Banque Impériale Ottomane was established by Anglo-French capital in 1863 — the same year this note was issued — and immediately granted the exclusive right to issue banknotes across Ottoman territories. It was a foreign-controlled central bank functioning inside a sovereign empire, a structural tension that shadowed the institution for its entire existence.
The medjidieh d'or was a gold-based unit of account rather than a circulating coin denomination, which made paper denominated in it difficult for much of the Ottoman public to value intuitively. Early acceptance of BIO notes outside Istanbul and Smyrna was poor.