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4 Bese - Victor Emmanuel III
| Issuer | Italian Somaliland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909-1924 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | VITTORIO·EMANVELE·III·RE·D'ITALIA (Translation: Vittorio Emanuele III King of Italy) |
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| Additional information |
Italian Somaliland maintained a separate colonial coinage distinct from Italian East Africa, and the besa denominations were specifically calibrated to compete with the Maria Theresa thaler and its fractional equivalents already circulating in the Horn of Africa. The 4 bese sat awkwardly in that system — large enough to be inconvenient, small enough to be nearly worthless in regional trade.
Production ran across a 15-year window but actual striking was intermittent, concentrated in short runs at the Rome mint.