25 Gourdes International Women's Year

The United Nations designated 1975 as International Women's Year, prompting a wave of commemorative issues from governments worldwide — many of them cynically produced for the collector market rather than circulation. Haiti's issue fell squarely into this category, marketed through Franklin Mint distribution channels during the Duvalier era, when hard currency from foreign coin sales was a meaningful revenue stream for the regime. Jean-Claude Duvalier had assumed the presidency in 1971 following his father's death, and the government actively courted international minting programs throughout the mid-1970s.