Catalog
2 Gourdes
| Issuer | Trésor Public d'Haïti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1827 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | RÉPUBLIQUE D'HAÏTI DEUX GOURDES La Loi Punit de mort le Contrefacteur Le présent Billet circulera dans la République pour la valeur de DEUX GOURDES et le Trésor public en garantit la valeur au porteur; en vertu de la loi du 16 Avril, 1827. Pour le Directeur Général 100 |
| Reverse description | Plain unprinted paper reverse bearing two ink control stamps applied by the issuing treasury: a large circular black stamp positioned left of centre and a smaller red oval stamp to its right, serving as official validation marks. |
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| Comments |
The Trésor Public d'Haïti issued this note just three years after the newly independent republic agreed to the infamous 1825 indemnity — a 150-million-franc debt imposed by France as the price of diplomatic recognition. That financial burden immediately crippled the Haitian treasury, and emergency domestic paper issues like this one were part of the government's attempt to manage circulation under extreme fiscal strain.
At this date, Haitian paper money was regarded with deep suspicion by the general population, and forced-currency legislation was repeatedly necessary to compel acceptance. Notes from this period survived poorly; the tropical climate was brutal on paper, and redemption drives destroyed much of what circulation hadn't already consumed.