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5 Lire Allied Military Currency
| Issuer | Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (AMGOT) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1943 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Lira (1861-2001) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 SERIES 1943 ISSUED IN ITALY 5 LIRE SERIES 1943 |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | FREEDOM OF SPEECH FREEDOM OF RELIGION ALLIED MILITARY CURRENCY FREEDOM FROM WANT FREEDOM FROM FEAR |
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| Comments |
AMGOT currency was introduced into Sicily in July 1943 alongside the Allied landings, and the Italian government's immediate objection to it — backed eventually by the U.S. Treasury — was that it was backed by nothing. The notes were printed without gold or dollar reserve support, effectively allowing the Allies to draw on the Italian economy at Italian expense. Eisenhower's headquarters defended the arrangement as a military necessity; the Italians called it a form of occupation financing, and they weren't wrong.
The Forbes Lithograph contract handled a portion of the print run alongside BEP production — a split-source arrangement driven by wartime output demands. Notes from the two printers are not readily distinguishable without close technical examination.