Catalog
10 Gourdes
| Issuer | République d'Haïti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The note is oriented vertically on the left margin with the inscription REPUBLIQUE D'HAITI and DIX GOURDES on the right margin, framing a central diamond-shaped panel containing the denomination $10. in bold letterpress. The national coat of arms vignette is positioned at the top centre above the diamond, flanked by the mottoes Liberté and Egalité. A text block within the lower portion of the diamond panel carries the promissory obligation in French, with manuscript signatures of the Président de la Chambre des Comptes and the Caissier below. |
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE D'HAITI DIX GOURDES Liberté Egalité $10. Vu: Pour le Secrétaire d'Etat des finances et du commerce Le présent Billet circulera dans la République pour la valeur de DIX GOURDES, en vertu de la loi du 16 Avril 1827, et le Trésor public payera la valeur de cette somme au porteur du présent. |
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Haiti's early independent republic faced a chronic shortage of specie, and the gourde notes of the 1820s were issued partly to address the demands of a crippling indemnity payment imposed by France in 1825 — 150 million francs in exchange for diplomatic recognition, a debt that strangled Haitian public finances for generations. Paper currency in this period was deeply mistrusted by the population, and circulation of these notes was limited and contested.
Pick 6 is among the earliest surviving Haitian paper issues. Genuine examples are extremely rare; the series suffered both from limited original production and from deliberate destruction during subsequent monetary reorganizations under Boyer's administration.