Author: Gatteaux, (Nicolas-Marie)
Title: Assignat de Cinquante Sols
Description: S. l. French Republic, 1793. Assignat; 3 1/4 x 4 1/2; laid paper, embossed; woodcut engravings of Justice, holding scales in right hand, and an unidentified, allegorical figure, holding an inscribed tablet - representing the "Rights of Man;" a bit unevenly trimmed and with a slight spot to left margin; in very good to near fine condition. Assignats were flat currency, issued by the French Constituent Assembly between 1789 and 1795, during the French Revolution and the Revolutionary Wars, while facing crushing debt and inevitable bancruptcy. The notes were backed by the country's national land, which could be purchased, with the requirement that it be paid with sols. Although initially successful, assignats would eventually cause hyperinflation, which rendered them worthless, and would be ultimately replaced by the franc - reintroduced in 1795. Very good .

Keywords: France, Revolution, Money


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