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5 Livres
| Issuer | Imperial Ottoman Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Lira (1844-1923) |
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| Obverse description | The tughra of Sultan Mehmed VI occupies the upper centre within an ornate oval cartouche framed by fine guilloche latticework. The denomination numeral '5' appears in each of the four corners against an intricate arabesque underprint, with the Ottoman state title دولت علیّه عثمانیه inscribed in large calligraphic script across the upper register. Two serial numbers in Latin characters are printed in the lower portion flanking a handwritten signature, with additional Ottoman calligraphic inscriptions running along the bottom margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | دولت علیّه عثمانیه |
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| Comments |
The Imperial Ottoman Bank — nominally a joint Anglo-French venture chartered in Constantinople — continued issuing notes through 1918 even as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing militarily on multiple fronts. This 5 Livres belongs to the final wartime series, issued under conditions of severe monetary stress: Ottoman currency had been inflating sharply since 1914, and public confidence in paper had eroded badly by the time these notes entered circulation.
The bank's dual nature — private European capital operating as a de facto central bank — made its notes politically awkward in the post-war partition period. Many were withdrawn rapidly after 1918 and destroyed, which affects surviving quantities today.