Description and research notes
Specimen proof of the 50 Lire issue from the Credito Fondiario di Bologna, engraved by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. and dated 1866. Credito Fondiario institutions specialized in long-term, mortgage-backed lending—a key innovation in Italy’s financial system, providing stability and funding for agricultural and urban development at a time when the new Kingdom was still economically fragmented.
The note’s oversized layout is striking, with ornate guilloché and multiple coats of arms symbolizing the pre-unification states of Italy. This heraldic display was already becoming obsolete by the 1860s as national identity consolidated, making this design a rare vestige of Italy’s regional past engraved onto its financial instruments. Wide margins, full color, and archival cancellations confirm its specimen status.
Graded PMG 66 EPQ Gem Uncirculated and ranked Top Pop, this is the finest certified survivor of the type. It serves as both a benchmark example of Bradbury Wilkinson’s Italian work and a tangible artifact of how Bologna’s banks attempted to project security and prestige during the turbulent 1860s. For collectors, it represents a fusion of art, finance, and political symbolism at the dawn of modern Italy.