Italy 1871 - Germania with Shield and Spear Vignette Die Proof Used on 500 Lire (Pick PS977)
The allegorical figure represents Germania, the female national personification of Germany. Crowned with laurel and armed with spear and shield bearing the imperial eagle, she embodies the newly unified German Empire proclaimed in 1871 following the Franco-Prussian War. The appearance of Germania on a banknote prepared for an Italian banking institution reflects the transnational character of the Banca Italo-Germanica, a financial enterprise intended to facilitate commercial and industrial cooperation between Italy and the newly unified Germany during the rapid economic expansion of the period. Read more →