1944 Banca D'Italia 100 Lire Italian Banknote - Series M225 - Introna & Urbini Signatures - 1944 WW2 Italy One Hundred Lire Note - P#75b

This listing is for the photographed 1944 Bank of Italy 100 Lire Banknote. Issue date of December 10th, 1944, in the midst of World War II. Signed by Urbini and Introna. Series M225. The obverse of this note depicts a medallic style head profile of Italia at the left end and a red colored seal at the center. Stunning ornamented design! Choice Fine (F+) grade/condition, many folds and signs of circulation due to age, as pictured. P#75b (Pick Number 75b). Excellent rarer Italian note from the World War Two era. Great addition to any collection!

The Banca d’Italia had been the central issuing authority for Italian currency since the late 19th century, producing notes of the lira in a range of denominations. When Italy entered the war in 1940, the Banca d’Italia continued to issue standard notes, but wartime inflation and shortages caused an increased reliance on higher-denomination notes. After the fall of Mussolini and the 1943 armistice with the Allies, Italy split. In the south, under Allied control, the Banca d’Italia continued to function in Rome and other liberated areas. The Allies also introduced Allied Military Currency (AM-Lire) in parallel with Italian banknotes. In the north, under the German-backed Italian Social Republic (RSI), the republic issued their own notes, still denominated in lire, but circulated only in RSI-controlled territory and had less credibility due to shortages and military collapse. Wartime disruption, overlapping currencies (Banca d’Italia notes, AM-lire, RSI issues), and massive inflation all undermined public trust. With the end of the war in 1945, the Banca d’Italia gradually reasserted its authority as the sole issuer of the lira, phasing out RSI and Allied issues. Postwar banknotes often reused wartime designs until the Republic of Italy stabilized its currency system.

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1944 Banca D'Italia 100 Lire Italian Banknote - Series M225 - Introna & Urbini Signatures - 1944 WW2 Italy One Hundred Lire Note - P#75b