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5 Gourdes
| Issuer | Banque Nationale d'Haiti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880-1889 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Gourdes (5 HTG) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | At left, a classical allegorical female figure stands upon a pedestal within an architectural frame rendered in intaglio; at right, a circular vignette contains the Haitian National Coat of Arms incorporating a palm tree, cannon, and flags. The centre carries the denomination in large letterpress text, beneath which three manuscript signature lines are reserved for the Commissaire spécial du Gouvernement, an Administrateur, and the Directeur. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A central guilloche-bordered oval vignette presents a standing allegorical female figure, the surrounding field filled with elaborate lathe-work underprint. Two circular medallions flank the central composition, each bearing the Haitian National Coat of Arms with palm tree and cannon motif inscribed "5 GOURDES", while the legend "REPUBLIQUE D'HAITI" appears within a plain rectangular panel at the top centre. |
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| Comments |
Haiti's 1880s paper currency was issued under severe fiscal strain — the country was still servicing the indemnity debt imposed by France in 1825, a 150-million-franc obligation extracted in exchange for diplomatic recognition that consumed a significant share of state revenues well into the late nineteenth century. The Banque Nationale d'Haiti, chartered in 1880 with French capital, operated under concession terms that gave its Paris-backed shareholders considerable control over the national treasury.
Imprimerie Viligoranique G. Richard et Cie is among the more obscure French security printers of the period — not one of the major houses like Bradbury Wilkinson or Giesecke & Devrient — which itself reflects the constrained options available to a bank operating on thin capitalization from the start.