Catalog
2 Gourdes
| Issuer | République d'Haïti (State issue) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Currency | Third gourde (1872-date) |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Jacques I) facing three-quarters left, flanked by the Haitian National Coat of Arms. The design is framed by ornate guilloche borders typical of American Bank Note Company engraving, with denomination numerals at corners. Issuing authority text and legal tender clause appear in letterpress below the central vignette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ RÉPUBLIQUE D'HAÏTI CE BILLET ÉMIS PAR L'ETAT D'HAÏTI, EN VERTU DE LA LOI DU 22 DÉCEMBRE 1914, A COURS LÉGAL DANS LA RÉPUBLIQUE POUR LA VALEUR DE DEUX GOURDES ET SON REMBOURSEMENT EST GARANTI PAR LES IMPÔTS CRÉÉS PAR LA LOI DU 11 AOÛT 1903, SUR LE RETRAIT DU PAPIER MONNAIE. |
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| Comments |
Haiti's state-issue paper currency of this period was produced under chronic fiscal stress, with the government frequently pledging customs revenues to foreign creditors — French, German, and American interests all had claims on Port-au-Prince's income by 1914. The timing matters: this note was issued just months before the United States occupation began in July 1915, after which American financial control effectively ended Haitian monetary autonomy for nearly two decades.
ABNC's work for Haiti across this era is competent but not among their more elaborate commissions — the contracts were small and the plates reused or adapted across successive issues.