Te Utrecht ongeldig gemaakte assignat van vijf livres, serie 17 E, nr. 112514 uitgegeven 1 november 1791 Possibly 1791 - 1796

This is a French assignat of five livres, created by Nicolas Marie Gatteaux, and issued on November 1, 1791. It offers a glimpse into the tumultuous era of the French Revolution. Assignats, paper currency, were introduced to address France’s financial crisis, backed by the value of national lands seized from the church and aristocracy. They mirror the revolutionary fervor and the radical restructuring of French society. As a symbol of revolutionary finance, the assignat became entangled with issues of class and power. While intended to stabilize the economy, it fueled inflation, impacting the working class and leading to social unrest. The history of the assignat is thus intimately linked to questions of economic justice and political upheaval. The defaced overprinting on this particular assignat evokes a visceral sense of historical disruption. It reminds us that even objects of everyday use can become powerful symbols of ideological conflict.