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50 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 155 x 66 mm |
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| Obverse description | Blue-toned note with a central guilloche vignette flanked by two oval underprint panels each bearing the inscription 'ISSUED IN ITALY'. The large numeral '50' is printed in dark ink at centre within an ornate cartouche, with matching corner numerals at all four angles. Serial number appears twice in dark blue, and the lower border carries the inscription 'ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY' in letterpress. 'SERIES 1943' appears at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 50 LIRE ISSUED IN ITALY ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY SERIES 1943 |
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| Comments |
Allied Military Currency for Italy was authorized under the Allied Military Government of Occupied Territory (AMGOT) and introduced following the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. The U.S. Treasury and the British Treasury jointly backed the series, though the notes carried no redemption guarantee in hard currency — a deliberate policy decision that contributed to serious inflation in the occupied south before the war even ended.
The Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company produced the Italian AMC series under contract, using lithographic offset rather than intaglio printing. That choice made the notes relatively easy to counterfeit, and German-produced forgeries of the AMC lire circulated in quantity — a psychological warfare operation the Allies later acknowledged had measurable economic effect in destabilizing liberated zones.