TURKISH NUMISMATIST TO SELL HIS COLLECTION OF OTTOMAN BANKNOTES

Turkish Press
June 10 2008

ANKARA – Prominent Turkish numismatist has decided to sell his Ottoman
banknotes collection, the most comprehensive collection of Ottoman-era
banknotes in the world, in an international auction.

Mehmet Tezcakin, a third generation member of the family that owns
the historic meatball restaurant in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district
known as "Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi", put his collection for sale
through London-based auction company Spink after his initiatives to
keep the collection in Turkey failed.

In an interview with the A.A, Tezcakin said, "I started collecting
Ottoman banknotes with a few ones I inherited from my grandfather
some 20 years ago. For two decades,I have gathered almost all types
of Ottoman banknotes that entered circulation."

"I decided to put the collection up for sale six months ago to afford
passing on our restaurant to the next generation. Since I do not prefer
that someone from abroad purchases this collection, I tried to sell
it in Turkey as a whole. But, I could not find a purchaser. Now, this
unique collection will be sold in an international auction. Israeli
and Arab numismatists have showed great interest in the collection,"
he said.

The collection includes many unique samples such as the first
handwritten banknote of the Ottoman Empire, the first counterfeit
Ottoman banknote dated 1870 and the world’s one and only paper
currency printed in four separate languages (Ottoman, French, Greek
and Armenian).

Saudi Arabian numismatist Ahmad al Jafari offered 1 million USD to
purchase 25 pieces from the collection.