10000 Armenian Dram Banknote (Komitas Vardapet)

10,000 Dram (Issued 2018)

Issued by the Central Bank of Armenia in 2018 as part of its commemorative series, the 10,000 Dram note occupies the highest denomination position within this collector-oriented programme, distinguishing itself through its cultural and artistic subject matter. The series as a whole honours significant figures and institutions in Armenian heritage, and this denomination is unified with its siblings through the consistent use of Armenian script, the issuing authority’s name rendered in the Armenian alphabet across the top margin, and a restrained palette dominated by blue-grey and violet tones. What sets this particular note apart is its dedication to Armenian musical and ecclesiastical culture, giving it a thematic richness that elevates it within the series. The year 2018 appears prominently in the upper right of the face, anchoring it firmly within the modern commemorative programme.

On the front, the dominant feature is a finely engraved portrait of Komitas Vardapet, the celebrated Armenian composer, musicologist, and priest, positioned to the left of centre against a background of densely printed musical manuscript notation and handwritten text, rendered in pale blue-grey intaglio engraving of exceptional fineness. Komitas is depicted in clerical dress with a dark collar, his beard and shaved head rendered with meticulous crosshatching that conveys depth and solemnity. To the lower left, a circular medallion in deep magenta and violet contains an ornate decorative emblem, likely referencing Armenian ecclesiastical art, and provides a vivid chromatic counterpoint to the otherwise cool tonal range of the note. Two vertical security threads in dark red are visible running through the central field, providing clear anti-counterfeiting structure. The serial number ՈՀ04177014 appears twice — once horizontally in the upper right area and once vertically along the left margin — printed in dark blue. The denomination numeral 10000 is printed in large, bold figures to the lower right in dark ink, accompanied by the Armenian-script inscription ՏԱՍԸ ՀԱԶԱՐ ԴՐԱՄ, meaning Ten Thousand Dram, in the lower centre. Along the upper edge, the full name of the issuing authority — ՀԱՅԱՍՏԱՆԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊETՈՒԹՅԱՆ ԿENTRONAКAN ԲАНК (Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia) — is inscribed in clean Armenian serif capitals. To the far right, an additional decorative motif in the Armenian ornamental tradition is printed in pale outline, and vertical text in Latin script running along the right margin identifies the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia in English. The overall colour field transitions from a cooler blue-grey at the left to a slightly warmer violet-grey toward the right edge, with fine guilloche-style geometric patterning filling the background.

The reverse presents an architectural and figural composition centred on a domed building rendered in precise intaglio engraving, identifiable as the Ejmiatsin Cathedral complex — specifically one of the historic churches within the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in Vagharshapat, Armenia. The building is depicted with its characteristic drum and dome, flanked by additional lower structures and set against a mountainous backdrop in which the distinctive outline of Mount Ararat is faintly discernible through layered grey tonal engraving. To the right of the church stands a tall, robed figure in three-quarter view, again referencing Komitas Vardapet, portrayed in a contemplative stance that reinforces the thematic link between Armenian ecclesiastical tradition and musical heritage. Across the top margin, the issuing authority’s name in Armenian script is repeated in the same clean typography as the obverse. The large numeral 10000 appears in the upper right corner, with the Armenian denomination inscription ՏԱՍԸ ՀԱԶАР ԴРАМ printed along the lower portion of the note. A small decorative ornament in the Armenian manuscript tradition appears in the upper left corner, mirroring design elements from the front. Latent watermark numerals reading 0000 are faintly visible in the lower left field, and along the right vertical margin, vertical Latin text again credits the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. The overall palette of the reverse is a unified blue-grey and violet, maintaining chromatic consistency with the obverse while giving the architectural engraving a monumental, almost lithographic quality.

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Other Armenian Dram you can exchange: 1000, 2000, 5000, 20000, 50000.