Catalog
5 Lire
| Issuer | Military Authority in Tripolitania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943-1951 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniface green intaglio design centred on a large bold numeral 5 within an ornate diamond-shaped guilloche panel, below which the word LIRE appears in serif capitals. The central diamond is enclosed within an oval of intricate lathe-work scrollwork with elaborate acanthus-scroll corner ornaments, the whole surrounded by a scalloped engine-turned border, all printed in a single shade of deep green on cream paper. |
| Reverse lettering | 5 LIRE |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The British Military Authority notes for Tripolitania were produced to facilitate occupation currency administration following the Allied capture of the territory from Italian forces in early 1943. Tripolitania was governed separately from Cyrenaica under British military administration, and each territory received its own BMA issues — a bureaucratic distinction that reflected genuine uncertainties about how North Africa would be divided in any postwar settlement.
The date range spanning to 1951 reflects continued use well into the period of UN trusteeship, years after the military rationale had dissolved. Libya did not achieve independence until December 1951, and these notes remained legal tender until almost the final hour.