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500 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green note with a central vignette of large bold numerals '500' above the denomination text 'LIRE', framed by an ornate guilloche cartouche with scrollwork. The inscriptions 'ISSUED IN ITALY' appear in oval guilloche panels to the left and right. Denomination numerals '500' are printed in each corner, with 'SERIES 1943' at upper left and lower right, and 'ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY' in a banner along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Brown-orange note with a central rectangular cartouche bearing the text 'ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY' in bold letterpress, surrounded by fine guilloche underprint. Two oval medallions flank the central panel, each containing inscriptions referencing the Four Freedoms. Ornamental scrollwork and lathe-work patterns fill the background across the entire note. |
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| Comments |
Allied Military Currency for Italy was authorized under the Allied Military Financial Agency and printed in the United States prior to the Sicily landings in July 1943. The 500 Lire denomination was the highest value in the Italian AMC series — a decision that drew immediate criticism, since notes of that face value handed to soldiers gave them substantial local purchasing power and contributed directly to the inflation that destabilized the Italian economy through 1943–44.
Forbes Lithograph in Boston produced the series using offset lithography rather than intaglio, which made counterfeiting straightforward. Italian-produced forgeries circulated alongside genuine AMC notes almost immediately, and the occupying authorities were never fully able to contain the problem.