2 Lire Allied Military Currency

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.