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| Eritrea Italian colonial coin 2 Lire |
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| 2 Lire Silver Coin |
Italian coins, Italian Coinage, Italian silver coins, Numismatic Collection, Coins of Italy best silver coins for investment, Italian Gold Coins, Italian States Coins, Coins of Italy, Coins of the Papal States, Gold coins of Italy, Vatican Coins, Vatican Gold Coins, Italian colonial coins.
Obverse: Crowned and uniformed bust of Umberto I right.
Legend: UMBERTO I RE D`ITALIA . 1890
Reverse: Illuminated star above value (L.2) and bi-ligual (Ethiopian and Persian inscription = Colonia
Eritrea = Eritrea Colony). Wreath and mint initial (R) below.
Legend: COLONIA ERITREA / R
Mint Place: Rome; Diameter: 27 mm; Weight: 9.95 gram of Silver (.800)
ENGRAVER: Filippo Spanenza, Chief Engraver Rome Mint.
Italian Eritrea was the first colony of the Kingdom of Italy. It was created in 1890 (but the first Italian settlements were done in 1882 around Assab) and lasted officially until 1947.
The Eritrean tallero was the currency of Eritrea between 1890 and 1921. The Italian Kingdom issued new coinage for their colony of Eritrea in 1890 with a silver Tallero d'Italia, patterned after the Maria Theresa thaler (together with 50 centesimi, 1 and 2 lire coins) equal to 5 lire subdivided into 100 centesimi and based on the Latin Monetary Union standards. The issue of a crown sized tallero d'Italia was an attempt to replace the Maria Theresia thaler which circulated extensively from Arabia to Ethiopia. The natives refused to accept the new coinage, even when the Maria Theresia thaler was prohibited.