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50 Sols Assignat
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1792 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Livre tournois (987-1795) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The face presents two allegorical seated figures flanking the central text panel: at left, a figure holds a tablet inscribed with the Declaration of the Rights of Man accompanied by a Gallic rooster, symbolising civic liberty; at right, the figure of Justice is shown with her scales. The engraved vignette, attributed to Gatteaux, is framed by a decorative border enclosing the denomination and legislative inscriptions, with warnings against counterfeiting and provisions for informers printed in letterpress. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LOI DU 4 JANVIER 1792. Série L'AN QUATRIÈME DE LA LIBERTÉ Domaines nationaux. Assignat de cinquante sols, payable au porteur. LA LOI PUNIT DE MORT LE CONTREFACTEUR. LA NATION RÉCOMPENSE LE DÉNONCIATEUR. DROITS DE L'HOMME 50S GATTEAUX |
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| Comments |
The 50 Sols assignat of 1792 belongs to the small-denomination series introduced specifically to address the acute shortage of coin in revolutionary France — silver and copper had largely vanished from circulation through hoarding and export. These low-value assignats were intended to function as everyday change, not as the large-denomination instruments backed nominally against nationalized church lands.
Gatteaux, a medallist by training, brought an engraver's sensibility to the series. By late 1792, inflation was already eroding assignat confidence, meaning many of these notes circulated hard and fast before losing practical value entirely.