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90 Livres Assignat
| Issuer | Caisse de l'Extraordinaire, France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1790 |
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| Designer(s) | Designers: Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux, Pierre-Joseph Lorthior |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of Louis XVI in profile bust within an oval medallion, set between the large letterpress inscription 'DOMAINES NATIONAUX' at top. The text body carries the full assignat decree in period typography, with the denomination 'QUATRE-VINGT-DIX liv.' in large display type. At the foot, two octagonal guilloche cartouches flank the numeral '90', with the written denomination 'Quatre-vingt-dix' in the left cartouche; a manuscript serial number and a handwritten signature appear in the lower centre field. |
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| Obverse lettering | Assignat de la création du 29 septembre 1790. DOMAINES NATIONAUX Hypothéqué au remboursement des assignats par le décret de l'Assemblée Nationale des 16 et 17 Avril 1790, sanctionnée par le Roi. Assignat de quatre-vingt-dix liv. Il sera payé au Porteur la somme de quatre-vingt-dix livres à la Caisse de l'Extraordinaire, conformément aux décrets des 16 et 17 Avril et 29 Septembre 1790. Quatre-vingt-dix 90 GATTEAUX QUATRE-VINGT-DIX LIVRES (Translation: Assignat created 29th September 1790. National Domains. Mortgaged for the reimbursement of Assignats by the decrees of the National Assembly of the 16th and 17th April 1790, sanctioned by the King. Assignat for ninety livres. The bearer will be paid the sum of ninety livres at the Caisse de l'Extraordinaire in conformity with the decrees of the 16th and 17th April and 29th September 1790.) |
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| Comments |
The 90 livres denomination was part of the first true assignat series, authorized by the Constituent Assembly in December 1789 and issued through the Caisse de l'Extraordinaire — a temporary body created specifically to manage the liquidation of confiscated Church properties. The assignat began as a bond secured against those biens nationaux, not as currency in the modern sense; the 90 livres face value was deliberately set high to keep early issues out of everyday retail circulation and in the hands of investors and creditors of the state.
Gatteaux, a medal engraver of genuine distinction, was responsible for the design work — his involvement was a deliberate choice to give the instrument the visual authority of an official state document rather than a commercial banknote. The watermark was among the few anti-counterfeiting measures available at the time, and it proved insufficient: forgery of assignats, including by British agents operating as state policy, became a serious problem within two years of this issue.