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1 Rupia
| Issuer | Banca d'Italia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920-1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rupia (1893-1925) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by a dark red and pink guilloche underprint with a large numeral "1" vignette at left center, flanked by intricate lathe-work rosettes. The issuing authority "BANCA D'ITALIA" appears in bold letters across a scroll at top, with "SOMALIA ITALIANA" on a ribbon below. Central text in letterpress reads "BUONO DI CASSA / UNA RUPIA" followed by the silver-backing clause, with signature lines for "IL DIRETTORE GENERALE" at lower left and "IL CASSIERE" at lower right, and the engraver's credit "E. FEDERICI DIS. INC." at bottom center. A blank oval cartouche occupies the right portion, with serial number and series letter printed at top and bottom margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed on a fine guilloche mesh ground in muted brown tones, with large Arabic script text arranged in five lines across the center of the note. A blank oval cartouche is positioned at the left. At the bottom, a small rectangular tablet bears the Italian legislative reference in letterpress. |
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| Comments |
Italy's colonial currency for Somalia was administered through the Banca d'Italia but kept deliberately separate from the domestic lira system — the rupia was pegged to the Indian rupee, reflecting the trade realities of the East African coast rather than any Roman economic logic. This issue, authorized under the colonial administration of Italian Somaliland, replaced an earlier series and was itself short-lived, superseded when the somalo was introduced decades later.
Federici both designed and engraved the plates — an unusual consolidation of roles that was not standard practice for Banca d'Italia work of the period.