Catalog
1 Lira
| Issuer | Ministero del Tesoro (Ministry of the Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1893-1898 |
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| Value | 1 Lira (1 ITL) |
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| Obverse description | The left portion carries an intaglio-printed red-brown vignette of King Umberto I in profile bust, set within an ornate oval guilloche frame inscribed REGNO D'ITALIA and ISTITUTO DELLA ZECCA. The right field, printed on a fine guilloche underprint, bears the large bold letterpress inscription BUONO DI CASSA / a corso legale / da UNA lira, with the serial number appearing twice at upper and lower positions. Two manuscript signatures appear at the bottom, under the titles IL CASSIERE SPECIALE and IL DELEGATO DELLA CORTE DEI CONTI, with the authorizing law reference LEGGE 22 LUGLIO 1894 N. 339 printed vertically on the dividing strip. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | DECRETO MINISTERIALE 15 SETT. 1893 REG.TA ALLA CORTE DEI CONTI IL 18 SETT. 1893 I BUONI DI CASSA POSTI IN CIRCOLAZIONE SONO GARANTITI E COPERTI PER INTERO DA MONETE DIVISIONALI ITALIANE D'ARGENTO, IMMOBILIZZATE NELLE TESORERIE DELLO STATO, E DESTINATE ESPRESSAMENTE A QUESTO SCOPO |
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| Comments |
Italy's Treasury Ministry issued small-denomination paper lire directly — bypassing the Banca d'Italia — because coins of equivalent value had effectively disappeared from circulation, hoarded or melted during the monetary turbulence of the 1890s. These notes were a stopgap, and they were treated as such: heavily circulated, rarely saved, and frequently mutilated by the time they left use.
The Carte-Valori printing house in Turin produced the series, but survival rates are poor. Worn, folded, and edge-damaged examples are the norm rather than the exception.