Catalog
2 Lire
| Issuer | Kingdom of Italy (Ministero delle Finanze) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1881 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 12 April 1888 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is divided into two guilloche-framed circular panels printed in violet, each enclosing a block of legal warning text — the left panel in violet ink on a light ground, the right panel in white text on a violet ground. The surrounding field is filled with an interlocking violet ornamental underprint incorporating repeated inscriptions DUE LIRE and the numeral 2, linking the two central elements. |
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| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Not present. |
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| Comments |
Italy's unified kingdom inherited a chaotic patchwork of regional currencies, and the Ministero delle Finanze — rather than the Banca d'Italia, which wouldn't be formally established until 1893 — was still issuing small-denomination notes directly through the treasury in 1881. These 2 Lire notes were meant to plug a chronic shortage of small coinage, a problem that dogged the young state for decades. The San Teodoro workshop in Rome printed them entirely in-house, one of the few operations where design, engraving, and production stayed under direct government control rather than going to a private contractor.