Item 29: Twenty Five Sols Assignat, French Currency, 1792 January 4
Item — Box: 16, Folder: 29
Dates
- Created: 1792 January 4
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Currency
Condition Note:
Fair.
Measurements:
7.25 x 4.25 in.
Description:
The following item depicts an assignat, printed January 4, 1792. It was printed during the French Revolution, under the approval of the Constituent Assembly, to fund the military needs of the revolutionary war. The bill contains an image of a rooster, with a ribbon above its head that contains the phrase, “La Liberte ou La Morte” (Liberty or Death). At the top of the image is an eye circled by what appears to be sun rays, an accompanying phrase which states, “La Loi Punit de Mort Le Contrefacteur” and “La Nation Récompense Le Dénonciateur”, which mean “The Law Punishes the Counterfeiter with Death” and “The Nation Rewards the Whistleblower”.
This dollar was printed shortly after the First Republic was established as government. The First Republic was the government formed after the Monarchy was disbanded during the French Revolution. The French Revolution was a major movement by the people during a societal and political pushback against the monarchy. During this period of revolution for France, we see the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and the execution of Louis XVI, giving rise to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. The assignat faced a similar history as the Continental Currency of the American Revolution, as it was overprinted with nearly no substantial investment by the Revolutionary government. As a result, the assignat faced a steadily increasing inflation as the French Revolution continued over the next decade, from 1789-1799.
Location:
France
Transcription:
Currency 1: [Composed of printed and annotated text. Printed text is bolded below]
Printed in a Decorative Scroll at the Top: La Loi Punit de Mort Le Contrefacteur La Nation Récompense Le Dénonciateur [The Law Punishes the Counterfeiter with Death] [The Nation Rewards the Whistleblower]
Loi du 4 Janvier 1792, L’an 4 de la Liberté [Law of January 4, 1792, Year 4 of Liberty]
DOMAINES NATIONAUX Assignat de VINGT-CINQ SOLS [Image of a Rooster with Phrase “La Liberte ou La Morte” (Liberty or Death)]
___(?) 25 SOLS ____(?)
Sie [Series] 501e In Pencil: 240 {Signature} ___(?)
Printed in a Decorative Scroll at the Top: La Loi Punit de Mort Le Contrefacteur La Nation Récompense Le Dénonciateur [The Law Punishes the Counterfeiter with Death] [The Nation Rewards the Whistleblower]
Loi du 4 Janvier 1792, L’an 4 de la Liberté [Law of January 4, 1792, Year 4 of Liberty]
DOMAINES NATIONAUX Assignat de VINGT-CINQ SOLS [Image of a Rooster with Phrase “La Liberte ou La Morte” (Liberty or Death)]
___(?) 25 SOLS ____(?)
Sie [Series] 501e In Pencil: 240 {Signature} ___(?)
Creator
- From the Series: Pickering, Timothy, 1745-1829. (Person)
- From the Series: Pennsylvania Economy League (Organization)
- From the Series: George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu