This bearer share of 125 francs No. 2316 of the Société Ottomane des Allumettes, issued in Constantinople on 1 November 1891, is one of the most remarkable documents in this collection. Written in two languages: French and Ottoman in Arabic script, it reflects the cosmopolitan culture of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th century, when French was the dominant diplomatic and commercial language in Constantinople. The Société Ottomane des Allumettes, with a capital of 44,000 LTQ (Turkish pounds) or 1 million francs, divided into 8,000 shares of 125 francs, was organized as a public limited company with head office in Constantinople, recognized by Ottoman ministerial decision of 3 Muharram 1309 (8 August 1891). This certificate was printed in Paris by Imprimerie Chaix, rue Bergère, one of the most prestigious securities printers of the time, and was signed in Constantinople