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1000 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Lira (1861-2001) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black and blue on a light blue-grey paper, the face is dominated by a large central vignette bearing the denomination '1000 LIRE' within an ornate scrollwork cartouche flanked by elaborate guilloche rosettes. Two oval underprint panels to the left and right each carry the inscription 'ISSUED IN ITALY', while '1000' numerals appear in the corners. The legend 'ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY' runs along the lower border, with 'SERIES 1943' noted at upper left and lower right, and the serial number printed twice in black. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 1000 1000 SERIES 1943 ISSUED IN ITALY 1000 LIRE ISSUED IN ITALY SERIES 1943 1000 1000 ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY |
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| Comments |
The Allied Military Currency lire series was authorized under the Allied Military Authority for use in Italy following the 1943 invasion, intended to replace Axis-issued notes in liberated territories without drawing on U.S. dollar or British sterling reserves. The 1000 Lire denomination, printed by Forbes Lithograph in Boston, was the highest value in the AMC series — a fact that made it particularly useful for large transactions but also controversial among Italian economists who warned, accurately, that flooding the economy with high-denomination military scrip would accelerate inflation.
Italian authorities deeply resented the AMC currency, which they had no control over printing. By 1945, the volume of AMC lire in circulation had contributed measurably to the inflationary spiral that plagued the postwar Italian economy.