The tallero was the

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

between 1890 and 1921. It was worth five lire and was subdivided into ten ''decimi'' (sing. ''decimo'').

Description

Five lire coins, engraved by Filippo Speranza, feature King

Umberto I of Italy Umberto I (; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination in 1900. His reign saw Italy's expansion into the Horn of Africa, as well as the creation of the Triple Alliance (1882), Triple Alliance a ...

with the lettering UMBERTO I RE D'ITALIA · 1896 on the obverse, and an

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

with a shield on the reverse. They weigh 28.1250g with an actual silver weight of 0.7234oz of .800 fineness, and are 40mmin diameter with a thickness of 3.1mm. From 1885,

banknotes A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commer ...

denominated in lire were issued by the Italian colonial authorities. In 1890, the

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

tallero, patterned after the

Maria Theresa thaler The Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) is a silver bullion coin and a type of Conventionsthaler that has been used in world trade continuously since it was first minted in 1741. It is named after Maria Theresa who ruled Austria, Hungary, Croatia and ...

, was introduced (together with 50 centesimi, 1 and 2 lire coins). The last tallero were minted in 1918. In 1921, the tallero was abandoned and Italian currency circulated alone until banknotes were issued in lire in 1938.

References

Modern obsolete currencies 1890 establishments in Eritrea 1921 disestablishments in Eritrea Economy of Eritrea Italian Eritrea {{Money-unit-stub