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200 Lire Banca Sella - Biella
| Issuer | Banca Sella, Biella |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 200 Lire |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Horizontal format miniassegno printed in red and black on white paper. The issuer's name 'Banca Sella' is rendered in large cursive script at centre, below the date 'BIELLA, 3 GENNAIO 1976' at top. A fine microtext underprint composed of repeated 'BANCA SELLA LABANCA SELLA' text fills the central field, with the denomination 'DUECENTO' set within, flanked by cheque-style guard ornaments. At lower centre the beneficiary vignette reads 'GALLERIA D'ARTE PERAZZONE' with a circular black logo of the establishment to the right, accompanied by a manuscript signature of Giorgio Perazzone and contact details; a text panel at left explains the conditions of use, and the serial number and cheque number appear at lower left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is largely plain white paper with a faint watermark impression visible at centre-left. At the right side, printed in black, the circular Galleria d'Arte Perazzone logo appears at upper right alongside a repeat of the establishment's services listing — 'galleria d'arte, numismatica, filatelia, antiquariato' — with address details and the manuscript signature of Giorgio Perazzone. A vertical marginal legend at the far right edge carries a restrictive clause concerning negotiability. |
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| Comments |
Banca Sella is one of the oldest surviving private banks in Italy, founded in Biella in 1886 by the Sella family — the same northern Piedmontese dynasty that produced Quintino Sella, the finance minister who introduced the gold lira standard in 1874. This 200 Lire note is a fiduciario, a locally-issued scrip instrument that re-emerged in Italy during the early 1970s when a catastrophic shortage of small coins forced banks, municipalities, and even private businesses to print their own low-denomination paper substitutes.
The coin shortage was severe enough that the Italian government tacitly tolerated these emissions rather than prosecute issuers. Microtext as a security feature on a piece of emergency scrip is a notable detail — most comparable issues from this period carried no meaningful anti-counterfeiting measures at all.