{"product_id":"jesus-christ-nagorno-karabakh-artsakh-p-2-10-dram-2004-unc-armenia-azerbaijan-war","title":"JESUS CHRIST Nagorno-Karabakh Artsakh P-902 10 Dram 2004 UNC—Armenia Azerbaijan War 71128","description":"\u003cp\u003eNagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh, ethnic Armenian Republic breakaway from Azerbaijan 1991–2024) P-902 10 Dram 2004, Uncirculated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBanknote Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e National \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Coat_of_arms_of_the_Republic_of_Artsakh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCoat of Arms of Nagorno-Karabakh\u003c\/a\u003e; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jesus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJesus Christ\u003c\/a\u003e holding the Gospels and raising hand in benediction; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dadivank\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDadivank monastery\u003c\/a\u003e, Shahumian district\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e National Coat of Arms of Nagorno-Karabakh; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khudafarin_bridges\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eancient Hudaferin bridge\u003c\/a\u003e; wine barrel with bunch of grapes; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karabakh_carpet\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKarabakh carpet\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Repeating text \"SECURITY PRINT BY OSD\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spartak Tevosian (ST) — Minister of Finance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing institution:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ministry of Finance, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nagorno-Karabakh_dram\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eArtsakh Dram\u003c\/a\u003e (2003–2023; demonetized 1 January 2024)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 Dram\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 165 × 90 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eYes\u003c\/a\u003e — 1 January 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%96sterreichische_Banknoten-_und_Sicherheitsdruck_GmbH\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eÖsterreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH\u003c\/a\u003e, Vienna, Austria (1816–present)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReferences:\u003c\/strong\u003e P-902; TBB B102\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eJesus Christ on a Banknote\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe obverse of the P-902 is one of the most unusual images in modern banknote design: a frontal depiction of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jesus\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJesus Christ\u003c\/a\u003e in the Byzantine \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pantocrator\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePantocrator\u003c\/a\u003e tradition — holding the Gospels in his left hand and raising his right in the gesture of benediction. \u003cb\u003eNo other circulating banknote in the world bears the image of Jesus Christ.\u003c\/b\u003e The choice was deliberate and politically charged: Artsakh was asserting itself as a Christian republic in a Muslim-majority region, rooting its claim to the land in a religious and civilisational identity predating Islam, the Ottoman Empire, and the Soviet Union alike. The image is not decorative — it is a declaration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Armenian_Apostolic_Church\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eArmenian Apostolic Church\u003c\/a\u003e — one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, tracing its founding to the apostles \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thaddeus_of_Edessa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThaddeus\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bartholomew_the_Apostle\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBartholomew\u003c\/a\u003e in the 1st century AD, and the state church of Armenia since 301 AD — the image of Christ in benediction carries the full weight of fifteen centuries of national identity. Armenia was the \u003cb\u003efirst nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion\u003c\/b\u003e, under \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tiridates_III_of_Armenia\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKing Tiridates III\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gregory_the_Illuminator\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSaint Gregory the Illuminator\u003c\/a\u003e. Placing Christ on the currency of Artsakh was an act of memory as much as faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDadivank: The Monastery on the Front\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dadivank\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDadivank\u003c\/a\u003e is a medieval Armenian monastery in the Shahumian (Kalbajar) district, one of the most significant monastic complexes in the South Caucasus. Founded according to tradition in the 1st century AD at the site of the martyrdom of the apostle \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thaddeus_of_Edessa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDadi\u003c\/a\u003e, the current structures date primarily from the 9th–13th centuries. Its cathedral, gavit (narthex), and bell tower are among the finest surviving examples of Armenian medieval architecture. \u003cb\u003eDadivank became a flashpoint in the 2020 war\u003c\/b\u003e: as Azerbaijani forces advanced, Russian peacekeepers were deployed specifically to protect it. It now sits in Azerbaijani-controlled territory, its future as an Armenian religious site uncertain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Reverse: Bridge, Wine, and Carpet\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse assembles three symbols of Karabakh's cultural and economic identity. The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Khudafarin_bridges\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eHudaferin bridges\u003c\/a\u003e — twin medieval stone arch bridges spanning the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aras_River\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAras River\u003c\/a\u003e on the Armenian-Iranian border — are among the oldest surviving bridges in the South Caucasus, dating to the 11th–12th centuries. The wine barrel and grapes reference Karabakh's ancient winemaking tradition — the region sits at the edge of one of the world's oldest wine-producing areas, and Armenian winemaking dates back over 6,000 years to the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Areni-1_winery\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAreni cave complex\u003c\/a\u003e. The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karabakh_carpet\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKarabakh carpet\u003c\/a\u003e represents one of the most celebrated traditions in Armenian and Azerbaijani craft — both sides claim it as their own, making its appearance on an Artsakh banknote another quiet act of cultural assertion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eNagorno-Karabakh: A Disputed Land\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nagorno-Karabakh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNagorno-Karabakh\u003c\/a\u003e — also known as \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Republic_of_Artsakh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eArtsakh\u003c\/a\u003e — was a landlocked, mountainous enclave within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, governed for decades by an ethnic Armenian administration following the Soviet collapse. The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nagorno-Karabakh_conflict\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNagorno-Karabakh conflict\u003c\/a\u003e flared repeatedly — in the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/First_Nagorno-Karabakh_War\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFirst War (1988–1994)\u003c\/a\u003e, the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_Nagorno-Karabakh_war\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFour-Day War (2016)\u003c\/a\u003e, the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_Nagorno-Karabakh_war\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e44-Day War (2020)\u003c\/a\u003e, and finally the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2023_Azerbaijani_offensive_in_Nagorno-Karabakh\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSeptember 2023 offensive\u003c\/a\u003e, in which Azerbaijan restored full sovereignty in under 24 hours. The entire ethnic Armenian population fled to Armenia within weeks. On 1 January 2024, the Republic of Artsakh was formally dissolved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eHow These Banknotes Came to Be\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Artsakh dram series was conceived as a deliberate act of nation-building through numismatics. The \u003cstrong\u003eEducational Coin Company\u003c\/strong\u003e, a numismatic wholesale firm based in Highland, New York, worked with the Nagorno-Karabakh government to commission the series, printed by the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%96sterreichische_Banknoten-_und_Sicherheitsdruck_GmbH\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eOesterreichische Banknoten- und Sicherheitsdruck GmbH\u003c\/a\u003e in Vienna — one of Europe's most prestigious security printers. Issued in 2004 and signed by Finance Minister Spartak Tevosian, the notes were legal tender but produced primarily for collector distribution and international visibility. The entire series was demonetized on \u003cstrong\u003e1 January 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e following the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCurrency of a Vanished State\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Artsakh 10 Dram note carried more symbolism per square centimetre than almost any banknote in modern history: Christ in benediction, a medieval monastery, an ancient bridge, a wine tradition six millennia old, and a carpet both sides claim as their own. It was printed in Vienna, sold through a New York coin dealer, and declared legal tender in a republic the world refused to recognize. \u003cb\u003eIt asked the world to look.\u003c\/b\u003e The world, in the end, looked away. But the note remains — a primary document of a state that lasted thirty-three years and then was gone. There will be no more Artsakh dram issues. What exists is what exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn essential acquisition for collectors of disputed territories, post-Soviet transitional issues, Christian iconography on currency, or the broader Caucasus region. Condition: UNC.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51948847399223,"sku":"NAKA902U","price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/902-zoom-jesus.png?v=1775927991","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/jesus-christ-nagorno-karabakh-artsakh-p-2-10-dram-2004-unc-armenia-azerbaijan-war","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}