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| Issuer | Regie Finanze (Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1794 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Lire |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| 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 | BIGLETTO DI CREDITO VERSO LE REGIE FINANZE CINQUANTA Pergli Stati S.M di glia fa Monti Per lire Cinquanta Torino il prima Giugno 1794 (signature Bardy (?)) Mastro Uditore (signature (Vivetti)) Mastro Uditore (signature (Jeandepel(?)) Tesoriere Gener.le (signature (Mossopel(?) Controle.della Ta.Gle |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Regie Finanze — the royal treasury administration of Piedmont-Sardinia — began issuing paper money in the early 1790s under severe fiscal pressure from the wars triggered by the French Revolution. Piedmont was among the first Italian states to face French military encroachment, and the need to finance defense without depleting coin reserves drove the rapid expansion of note issues from 1792 onward.
By 1794, the kingdom was functionally at war. Notes of this series circulated in a climate of acute public mistrust, and many were quickly discounted against specie. The watermark was the principal — essentially the only — barrier against forgery, a thin line of defense for a government already losing ground militarily and financially. Piedmont fell to French forces by 1796.