Catalog
7 Paoli
| Issuer | Roman Republic |
|---|---|
| Year | 1798 |
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| Size | 144 × 102 mm |
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| Obverse description | The note is set within a hatched rectangular border with a zigzag pattern. At the top centre, the republican motto is printed in two lines, flanked by two circular medallion vignettes: on the left, a standing female figure with the legend REPUBBLICA ROMANA, and on the right, a similar allegorical figure with the legend FEDE PUBLICA. A central eagle vignette with spread wings is positioned below the heading, above a cartouche inscribed with the denomination P. SETTE. The main text body in letterpress type states the assignat value of seven Paoli, mortgaged against ecclesiastical enfiteuthic properties under Article X of Law 23 of Fruttifero Year Six, followed by a manuscript payee line and an autograph signature. |
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| Obverse lettering | LIBERTA EGUAGLIANZA REPUBBLICA ROMANA 1. Dell'Anno 7. Repubblicano Assegnato di Paoli SETTE ipotecato sulli Beni Enfiteutici in Vigore dell'Artic. X. della Legge 23. Fruttifero Anno Sesto. Vaglia per tanti al Depositario della Rep. Romana |
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| Comments |
The Roman Republic of 1798 was a French-backed revolutionary state that lasted barely seventeen months before papal authority was restored. These assignat-style notes were issued almost immediately upon the republic's proclamation, with the intent of funding an administration that had no established tax base and no bullion reserve. The 7 paoli denomination is an odd one — it appears designed to fill a specific transactional gap rather than conform to any tidy decimal scheme, reflecting the hybrid monetary arithmetic of a society still anchored to the old papal paoli system.
Printed locally under severely constrained conditions, the paper quality varies considerably across surviving examples.