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½ Livre Turque
| Issuer | Dette Publique Ottomane |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed predominantly in rose-red on a cream paper ground, with the denomination '½' printed in black at both upper corners flanked by small ornamental rosettes. The central field is occupied by an elaborate Ottoman calligraphic text panel set within a multi-rule border with intricate arabesque guilloche underprint. The imperial tughra appears at the top centre, with the series letter 'SERIE D' in Latin script at the lower left and the serial number in Arabic-script numerals at the lower right, with two manuscript signature lines at the foot of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is essentially unprinted, presenting a plain cream-white paper surface with faint ghosting of the obverse design visible through the stock, consistent with the lightweight paper used for this wartime emergency issue. |
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| Comments |
The Dette Publique Ottomane — the Ottoman Public Debt Administration — was a peculiar institution: an international creditor body staffed largely by European appointees, managing Ottoman state finances on behalf of foreign bondholders since 1881. By 1915, with the empire at war and the regular banking apparatus under severe strain, it was pressed into issuing emergency paper currency. That a debt-collection agency became a note-issuing authority tells you most of what you need to know about the Ottoman financial situation that year.
The half-livre denomination was the smallest in this wartime series. Cotton paper was a deliberate choice — linen-cotton stock resisted the accelerated wear that came with high-velocity street circulation during the war years.