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500 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 155 x 66 mm |
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| Obverse description | Green and light blue note with an intricate guilloche underprint throughout. The large numeral '500' appears in the centre, flanked by ornate scrollwork vignettes, with the bilingual denomination 'CINQUECENTO / FIVE HUNDRED LIRE' above and below. The inscriptions 'ISSUED IN ITALY' appear on both left and right panels, and the serial number in red is printed twice — once at upper right and once at lower left. The legend 'ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY' runs along the lower margin in bold letterpress. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SERIES OF 1943 A FIVE HUNDRED LIRE CINQUECENTO 500 FIVE HUNDRED ISSUED IN ITALY LIRE CINQUECENTO LIRE SERIES OF 1943 A ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY |
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| Comments |
Allied Military Currency was produced in the United States ahead of the Sicily landings and introduced into Italy following Operation Husky in July 1943. The 500 Lire denomination was the highest value in the AM lire series, and its abundance relative to Italian civilian wages contributed directly to the severe inflation that plagued southern Italy through 1943–44. American and British troops spent freely, and the Italian government had no control over how much was printed or issued — a source of lasting friction between the Allied Commission and the Badoglio government.
Forbes Lithograph, a Boston-area commercial printer, produced this note under U.S. Treasury contract. The Italian government did not accept liability for AM lire until 1947, when the two currencies were finally unified at par.