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20 Kurush
| Issuer | Ottoman Treasury (Hazine-i Devlet) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855-1857 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain paper reverse with minimal printed content, dominated by a large circular impressed seal bearing Ottoman tughra-style calligraphy at center, surrounded by a faint ghost impression of the sunburst vignette visible from the obverse through the thin paper stock. The remainder of the surface is essentially blank, consistent with early Ottoman kaime treasury notes of this period. |
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| Protection type | Impressed seal |
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| Comments |
The Ottoman Treasury's direct issue of paper currency in the 1850s was itself a political concession wrung out of the Crimean War's fiscal disaster. The Hazine-i Devlet notes were introduced after the Porte had already exhausted conventional borrowing and were circulating alongside — and competing with — Kaime notes that had already badly eroded public confidence in Ottoman paper money by this point.
The impressed seal was the primary authentication device, a physically applied embossment rather than a printed security element — consequentially, worn or damp examples often show a flattened or nearly invisible seal, which has led to debates over whether some survivors are genuine issues or period forgeries. Pick 26 is scarce in any collectible state.