| CATALOG INFORMATION |
| ID Number: |
SB10-0101 |
| Category: |
Paper Money |
| Description: |
Italy, 500 Lire 1974 |
| Country or State: |
Italy |
| Year: |
Decreto Ministeriale 14.02.1974 |
| Period: |
Republic (2 June 1946 - present) |
| Head of State/Ruler: |
|
| Reign: |
|
| Currency: |
Lira |
| Face Value: |
500 ₤ - Italian lira |
| Subject/Theme: |
Green-Blue Mercury at right |
| Obverse: |
Winged head of Mercury, a god of trade and a messenger in Roman mythology |
| Obverse Legend: |
Repubblica Italiana. Cinquecento Lire. Biglietto di stato a corso legale. Il direttore generale del tesoro. Il cassiere speciale. V' per la corte dei conti. |
| Obverse Designer: |
L. Vangelli |
| Reverse: |
Bellerophon riding Pegasus |
| Reverse Legend: |
LIRE CINQUECENTO |
| Reverse Designer: |
L. Vangelli |
| Signatures: |
Miconi-Nardi-Fabiano |
| Printer: |
Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato, Officina Carte Valori di Roma |
| Edge: |
|
| Note: |
|
| Mintage: |
301,000,000 |
| Dimensions (B x H): |
114 x 57 mm |
| Krause Catalog Number: |
|
| Other Catalog Number: |
World Paper Money: P-94a.1 |
| State of Conservation: |
Very Fine (VF) |
| Rarity: |
|
| |
|
|
| CATALOG VALUE |
| Uncirculated (Unc) |
€ 2.00 |
| Extremely Fine (XF) |
€ - |
| Very Fine (VF) |
€ 1.00 |
| Fine (F) |
€ - |
| Very Good (VG) |
€ 0.50 |
| Good (G) |
€ - |
| Poor (P) |
€ - |
| |
|
|
| HISTORICAL NOTES |
| Mercury (Latin: Mercurius) is a major Roman god, being one of the Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence (and thus poetry), messages/communication (including divination), travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he is also the guide of souls to the underworld. He was considered the son of Maia and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is possibly related to the Latin word merx ("merchandise"; compare merchant, commerce, etc.), mercari (to trade), and merces (wages); another possible connection is the Proto-Indo-European root merĝ- for "boundary, border" and Greek οὖρος (by analogy of Arctūrus/Ἀρκτοῦρος), as the "keeper of boundaries," referring to his role as bridge between the upper and lower worlds. In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand. |
| |
|