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2 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Lire (2 ITL) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in purple and buff on plain paper, the obverse presents a purely typographic design framed by a decorative guilloche border with ornamental corner pieces. The denomination numeral '2' appears in each corner and in large letterpress type at centre, above the word 'LIRE', with the inscriptions 'ISSUED IN ITALY' and 'SERIES 1943' distributed across the field. A red serial number in prefix-suffix format is printed at the lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY 2 ISSUED IN 2 ITALY SERIES 1943 2 LIRE SERIES 1943 2 2 |
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| Comments |
Allied Military Currency for Italy was authorized under the 1943 Allied invasion, with the U.S. Treasury producing two distinct print runs from separate contractors — the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington and Forbes Lithograph in Boston. The Forbes printings are generally distinguishable and cataloged as a separate variety. Neither run was backed by any Italian monetary authority; the notes were effectively scrip, redeemable against occupation accounts rather than the Bank of Italy's reserves.
Italian authorities resented the arrangement from the start, arguing it imported inflation by introducing unbacked currency alongside the lira. That dispute shaped postwar negotiations over who bore the cost of Allied occupation spending.