The Ottoman Loan of 1873 at 6% is one of the great loans in 19th-century financial history. Authorized by Imperial Firman of 21 September 1873, it was contracted by the Imperial Ottoman Government with a consortium of leading banks: the Société de Crédit Mobilier of Paris, the Crédit Général Ottoman of Constantinople and the Banque de Constantinople. The issue covered 1,388,889 bonds of 500 Francs/20 Pounds Sterling, representing a total capital of 694,444,500 Francs (or 27,777,780 Pounds Sterling). This bond N°0,236,848, described as "Bond to Bearer of Twenty Pounds Sterling or 500 Francs," was repayable over 33 years, payable in Paris (Société de Crédit Mobilier), London (Imperial Ottoman Bank) and Constantinople. The Société de Crédit Mobilier, founded by the Péreire brothers in 1852, was one of France's first modern investment banks. The Ottoman Empire, riddled with debt, would default on its bonds in 1875–1876, triggering an international financial crisis. This document is a witness to the golden age of Ottoman loans on European financial markets.