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5 Dollars - Promissory Bond
| Issuer | Irish Republic (Fenian Brotherhood) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1866 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 C 2503 5 It is hereby Certified that The Irish Republic Is Indebted to Bearer Five Dollars Redeemable Six months after the acknowledgement Of The Independence of the Irish Nation At the Treasury of the Irish Republic March 17th 1866 498 FCFB Agent for the Irish Republic Continental Bank Note Co. New York Stamped and Recorded 5 Waterford 5 Tipperary 5 Limerick 5 Kerry 5 Clare 5 Munster 5 Cork 5 Antrim 5 Armagh 5 Cavan 5 Donegal 5 Ulster 5 Down 5 Fermanagh 5 Londonderry 5 Monaghan 5 Tyrone 5 Carlow 5 Dublin 5 Kings County 5 Kildare 5 Kilkenny 5 Louth 5 Longford 5 Leinster 5 Meath 5 Queens Co. 5 Westmeath 5 Wicklow 5 Wexford 5 Connaught 5 Sligo 5 Roscommon 5 Mayo 5 Leitrim 5 Galway 5 V V V V |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 5 5 Continental Bank Note Co. New York |
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| Comments |
The Fenian Brotherhood issued these bonds in 1866 to fund a planned invasion of Canada — an audacious scheme premised on the belief that seizing Canadian territory would force Britain to negotiate Irish independence. The Continental Bank Note Company, a respectable commercial printer that handled genuine currency for several American states, produced them in New York without apparent legal difficulty, since U.S. neutrality laws were only selectively enforced against Fenian activities at the time.
These were not currency. They were promissory instruments redeemable "six months after the acknowledgement of the independence of the Irish Republic" — a condition that was never met. The raids into Canada in June 1866 collapsed within days.