Italy - 2 Lire - P-27 - 1939 dated Foreign Paper Money

2 Lire, P-27. Smaller size note measures 3 1/4" x 2".

The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was first introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually form the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. It was subdivided into 100 centesimi (singular: centesimo), which means "hundredths" or "cents". The lira was also the currency of the Albanian Kingdom from 1941 to 1943.

The term originates from libra, the largest unit of the Carolingian monetary system used in Western Europe and elsewhere from the 8th to the 20th century. The Carolingian system is the origin of the French livre tournois (predecessor of the franc), the Italian lira, and the pound unit of sterling and related currencies.

In 1999 the euro became Italy's unit of account and the lira became a national subunit of the euro at a rate of €1 = Lit. 1,936.27, before being replaced as cash in 2002.

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