Yes, this beautiful banknote is one of the first banknotes issued in Italy and it was for issue in 1765 some 252 years ago. A Bank of England note from that time would sell for thousands of pounds. At that time Italy was made up of a number of City States. These large sized notes from Regie Finanze Torino are printed on handmade paper. They come just as they were originally made, ready to be framed or you can cut them down to ‘print ready lines’ for your collection, as they did when they issued them.
These thick handmade watermarked sheets are about A4 size and would have been bound into a book ready to be issued. The 50 lire for 1765 is very attractive with a crowned shield, lion and cherubs as a vignette. Today Krause lists them as a remainder i.e. printed at the time (1765) but not issued (PS112r) They currently catalogue $350 (approx £270), We normally charge £195 for this note but for 25 lucky collectors we can offer this fantastic 18th century 50 lire note for just £145 (That’s a savings of £50!).
