Catalog
8 Paoli
| Issuer | Repubblica Romana (Roman Republic) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1798-1799 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set within a double-ruled typographic border and carries two circular medallion vignettes in the upper corners: the left bearing a standing figure within the legend REPVBLICA ROMANA, the right a robed allegorical figure within the legend FEDE PVBLICA. A central eagle with spread wings serves as the main vignette between the two medallions. The denomination PAOLI OTTO appears in a boxed panel at centre, flanked by the year and issue reference, with the main text body below stating the assegnato pledge against enfiteutic state property under Article X of Law 23. A handwritten serial number and an authorising manuscript signature appear at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | LIBERTA EGVAGLIANZA REPVBBLICA ROMANA REPVBLICA ROMANA FEDE PVBLICA 1. Dell'Anno 7. P.i OTTO A Repubblicano Assegnato di Paoli OTTO ipotecato sulli Beni Enfiteutici in Vigore dell'Artic. X. della Legge 23. Fruttifero Anno Sesto. Vaglia per tutti i Dipartimenti della Regio. Romana N. |
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| Comments |
The Repubblica Romana was proclaimed in February 1798 after French forces under Berthier occupied Rome and Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner. This note belongs to the emergency paper currency the new republican government issued almost immediately — the regime lasted barely sixteen months before Neapolitan and French royalist pressure ended it in the summer of 1799, which means the entire lifespan of this currency fits inside a single calendar year.
The 8 Paoli denomination is denominated in the old papal monetary unit, a telling concession to public familiarity. Manuscript countersignatures and official stamps served as the primary authentication controls, since the Romans had no established republican treasury infrastructure and could not yet impose printed security features.
Surviving examples frequently show heavy handling — the regime's financial chaos drove rapid turnover — and the countersignatures vary considerably from note to note.