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5 Gourdes
| Issuer | Banque Nationale de la République d'Haïti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1971 |
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| Reference(s) | P#202 |
| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed portrait of President Dr. François Duvalier (titled 'DOCTEUR FRANCOIS DUVALIER PRESIDENT A VIE') in an oval vignette at left, set against a fine guilloche underprint in orange. A large ornate numeral '5' medallion occupies the centre-right, flanked by the serial number repeated twice, with the denomination legend 'CINQ GOURDES' in a panel below and the full legal tender text running across the lower portion. Three signature lines — LE PRÉSIDENT, LE DIRECTEUR, and UN ADMINISTRATEUR — appear at the bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE NATIONALE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE D'HAÏTI CINQ GOURDES CE BILLET, CONFORMEMENT À LA CONVENTION DU 12 AVRIL, 1919, EST PAYABLE AU PORTEUR EN MONNAIE LÉGALE DES ÉTATS-UNIS D'AMÉRIQUE AU TAUX DE CINQ GOURDES POUR UN DOLLAR. (Translation: National Bank of the Republic of Haiti, Five Gourdes, This banknote, in accordance with the convention of April 12, 1919, is payable to the bearer in legal currency of the United States of America at the rate of Five Gourdes to One Dollar.) |
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| Comments |
Haiti's monetary system in the early 1970s was firmly under Duvalierist control, with the Banque Nationale serving as much as a fiscal instrument of the regime as a central bank. The American Bank Note Company had been the preferred printer for Haitian issues since the mid-twentieth century, a relationship that outlasted several constitutional convulsions without interruption.
A print run of just over twelve million is modest for a circulating low denomination, suggesting replacement of a specific worn series rather than a broad monetary expansion. Heavy circulation wear is the norm for surviving examples — the 5 Gourdes saw daily transactional use and paper attrition was high in Haiti's humid tropical conditions.