Catalog
20 Dollars
| Issuer | Republic of Ireland (Fenian Bond) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866-1867 |
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| Printer | American Bank Note Company |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of an allegorical figure of Erin with a harp and an eagle set against an elaborate guilloche underprint in green and black. The denomination numeral "20" appears in ornate panels at left and right, with the inscription "REPUBLIC OF IRELAND" in large bold letters across the upper portion. Two intaglio portrait medallions are positioned at lower left and lower right, depicting historical figures in military dress, flanking the written denomination "Twenty Dollars" in copperplate script. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THIS NATIONAL BOND REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Twenty Dollars CERTIFICATE THE REPUBLIC |
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| Comments |
The Fenian Brotherhood issued these bonds in 1866–67 to finance an armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland, with the Republic of Ireland declared in advance as a political act — a government in aspiration rather than fact. The American Bank Note Company's involvement gave the instruments a credibility of appearance that was entirely deliberate: ABNC was the premier security printer in the United States, and Fenian organizers understood that a professional-looking bond would extract more money from the Irish diaspora than a crudely printed appeal.
No Irish republic was ever established, and no bondholder was ever repaid. The bonds were sold primarily through Fenian circles in northeastern US cities, with the promise of redemption "six months after the liberation of Ireland."