2 Lire - Victor Emmanuel II

These issues span the decade immediately preceding Unification, when Sardinia-Piedmont was maneuvering aggressively against Austrian dominance in northern Italy — Cavour's commercial treaties and the Crimean expedition of 1855 were both financed partly through currency policy. The 1859 issues in particular coincide with the Second Italian War of Independence, when military expenditure briefly strained the mint at Turin.

Gigante notes meaningful variation across the date run. The earlier strikes tend to show sharper edge reeding than later ones, a production detail worth examining before assigning finer grades within the series.