Timeline

• 19.02.1670
• French royal decree on the production of coinage for exclusive use in the "American colonies on land and water" under King Louis XIV, creating the French Colonial Livre / 20 Sols / 12 Deniers; effective by law of 24.03.1670
• 18.11.1672
• Ordinance on the rating of French money at 100 French Livres = 133⅓ French Colonial Livres; effective immediately
• 14.06.1726
• Ordinance on the rating of French money at 100 French Livres = 150 French Colonial Livres; effective immediately
• 19.01.1731
• Ordinance on the issuance of silver subsidiary coinage of 12, 6 French Sols (= 18, 9 French Colonial Sols) for all Windward Islands possessions
• ??.01.1763
• Ordinance on the counterstamping with a crowned "C" of worn silver coins and issuance as subsidiary coinage of 2½ French Colonial Sols for all Windward Islands possessions
• ??.04.1766
• Ordinance on the issuance of subsidiary coinage of 18, 9 French Colonial Sols in silver and 1 French Colonial Sol in copper for all Windward Islands possessions; not implemented:
  - The silver coins were not minted, while the copper coins were but not issued due to lack of acceptance
  - The copper coins were (re-)issued by ordinance of 28.09.1793 after counterstamping with "RF", their value was set to ¼ Escalin = 3¾ French Colonial Sols.
• 10.12.1779
• Ordinance on the issuance of billon subsidiary coinage of 2½ French Colonial Sols for all Windward Islands possessions, made from blank planchets counterstamped with a crowned "C" (modelled after the 1763 counterstamps)
• 10.11.1781
• Rating of the Spanish Dollar (8 Spanish Real in silver) at 5²⁄₅ French Livres = 8¹⁄₁₀ French Colonial Livres
• 24.01.1789
• Ordinance on the issuance of billon subsidiary coinage of 2½ French Colonial Sols for all Windward Islands and Leeward Islands (Saint-Domingue) possessions; not implemented
• 13.07.1781
• Issuance of counterstamped coinage ("C" on a crowned anchor, after the town of Le Cap) made from Spanish colonial "Macuquina" coins that were adjusted to weights of 45 or 22½ Parisian grains (2.4 or 1.2 grams). They were rated at 1 Escalin = ¹⁄₁₁ Spanish Dollar per 45 Parisian grains.
• ??.??.1792
• Counterstamping of French copper coins of 1 Sol with "S D", rated at 1½ French Colonial Sols.
• 05.01.1802
• [FR:15 Nivôse X] Ordinance on the issuance of silver subsidiary coins of 2, 1, ½ Escalins as emergency money during the Haitian Revolution; effective immediately
• 20.01.1803
• [FR:30 Nivôse XI] Governor's ordinance on the valuation of colonial possessions at a rate of 1 French Colonial Livre = 1 French Franc (and Spanish Dollar = 5.50 French Francs); effective 21.01.1803 [FR:01 Pluviôse XI].
  - The French state did not recognize the over-valuation and the ordinance remained void.

Timeline

• 02.09.1807
• Ordinance of the North Haiti State on the Issuance of silver subsidiary coins of 30, 15, 7½ French Colonial Sols; effective immediately
• 04.05.1808
• Ordinance [No. 186] on the rating of foreign silver coins; effecive immediately:
  - Écu of 6 French Livres = 9¾ French Colonial Livres, Spanish Dollar = 9 French Colonial Livres.
• 27.06.1811
• Ordinance [No. 298] on the production of punched-out foreign coins (to create subsidiaty coins but also to prevent silver exports) by which the center plugs were rated per weight while the ring-formed rest kept the valuation of the uncut piece; effective immediately:
  - Spanish Dollar: "ring" at 11 Escalins, "center plug" at 2 Escalins = 18 Cents
  - 4 Spanish Real: "ring" at 5½ Escalins, "center plug" at 1 Escalin = 9 Cents
  - 2 Spanish Real: "ring" at 2¾ Escalins, "center plug" at ½ Escalin = 4½ Cents
  - Écu of 6 French Livres: "ring" at 12 Escalins, "center plug" at 2½ Escalins = 22½ Cents
  - 5 French Francs (100 Sols): "ring" at 10 Escalins, "center plug" at 1½ Escalins = 13½ Cents
  - Note: the exact form of the cutting is unknown, as no specimens have survived.
• 08.05.1813
• Ordinance [No. 348] on the withdrawal of the punched-out coins of 1811 (due to massive counterfeiting) and exchange into state paper money; effective 25.06.1814 by ordinance [No. 390].
  - The paper money was denominated in "Gourde", the local name of the Spanish Dollar, while the ordinance simply refers to "Monnaie Nationale". There was no fromal currency act.
• 08.05.1813
• Ordinance ["Loi rélative à la nouvelle monnaie", No. 349] on the issuance of (decimal) billon subsidiary coins of 25, 12, 6 Cents in unknown weights and 0.333 fineness; effective immediately:
  - Note: The 12, 6 Cents were also referred to as ¹⁄₈, ¹⁄₁₆ Gourde, thus the fractions of the 12½, 6¼ Cents were deliberately omitted.
• 18.05.1813
• Ordinance [No. 352] on the rating of foreign silver coins; effective immediately:
  - Écu of 6 French Livres = 12 Escalins = 108 Cents
  - Spanish Dollar = US Dollar (silver) = 11 Escalins = 100 Cents
  - 5 French Francs (100 Sols) = 10 Escalins = 90 Cents
• 1817-1830
• Reform of the subsidiary coinage:
  - 04.08.1817: Ordinance [No. 486] on the issuance of silver subsidiary coins of 25, 12, 6 Cents in weights of 50, 25, 12½ Parisian grains and 0.666 fineness; effective immediately
  - 16.04.1827: Ordinance [No. 1091] on the issuance of silver subsidiary coins of 100, 50 Cents in weights of 200, 100 Parisian grains and 0.666 fineness; effective immediately
  - 15.07.1828: Ordinance [No. 1162] on the issuance of copper subsidiary coins of 2, 1 Cents in weights of 100, 50 Parisian grains; effective immediately (Note: another denomination of 6 Cents, weighing 300 Parisian grains, was added by ordinance of 17.09.1846)
  - 24.11.1828: Ordinance [No. 1182] on the demonetization of the 1813 billon subsidiary coins; effective 31.12.1828.
• 1826-1828
• Issuance of state paper Money:
  - 25.09.1826: Ordinance [No. 1063] on the issuance of state treasury bills of 5, 2, 1 Gourdes; effective immediately
  - 16.04.1827: Ordinance [No. 1090] on the issuance of state treasury bills of 20, 10 Gourdes; effective immediately
  - 21.04.1828: Ordinance [No. 1147] on the demonetization of the 1826 treasury bills of 5 Gourdes; effective 30.06.1828.
• 06.08.1842
• Ordinance on the demonetization of the 1826 treasury bills of 10 Gourdes; effective 31.10.1842:
  - Of the amounts presented 50% were exchanged into treasury bills of 2, 1 Gourdes, 50% were converted into customs credits (bons de douane)
  - Note: One third more bills were confiscated than previously issued, as the government could not identify counterfeits.
• 19.03.1870
• Ordinance [No. 18] on the demonetization of all circulating treasury bills of 20, 10, 5 Gourdes; effective immediately:
  - Only 10% of the bills presented were exchanged into new paper money, the balance was invalidated
  - Denominations of 2, 1 Gourdes were not affected.
• 06.09.1870
• Ordinance [No. 23] on the demonetization of all circulating coins and exchange into treasury bills; effective 30.09.1870:
  - 100 Cents (silver) = 160 Gourdes (paper), partial values accordingly
  - 20 Cents (bronze) = 4 Gourdes (paper) [type "Geffrard], partial values accordingly
  - 6¼ Cents (copper) = 1 Gourde (paper) [type "Fasces"], partial values accordingly
  - The 1817/1826 silver subsidiary coins were subsequently re-issued at the rate of 1 Gourde (coins) = 3 Gourdes (paper).
• 21.08.1871
• Ordinance [No. 39] on the (final) demonetization of silver subsidiary coins and exchange into treasury bills (created by the ordinance [No. 17] of 22.07.1871) at the rate of 1 Gourde (coins) = 300 Gourdes (paper); effective 31.10.1871

Valuation Regimes

• 1813-1872
• Nominally metallic currency based on circulating silver coins. De facto unbacked state paper money with variable rate against specie, increasingly inflationary after the mid-1860s until a peg to the US Dollar got introduced in 1871.

Timeline

• 24.08.1872
• Law [No. 31] on the currency reform introducing the US Dollar in silver (referred to as "Piastre Forte") as unit of account; effective immediately
• 24.08.1872
• Start of currency exchange:
  - Issuance of U.S. paper money and coins had probably started already in 1871
  - 24.08.1872: Law [Nor. 32] on the stop of issuance of treasury bills; effective immediately
  - 11.09.1872: Ordinance [No. 40] on the demonetization of all pre-1872 treasury bills; effective 30.09.1872
  - 27.09.1872: Ordinance [No. 42] on the re-issuance of earlier subsidiary coins: 20 Cents (bronze, type "Geffrard") at 1 Cent, 6¼ Cents (copper, type "Fasces") at 3 Cents; effective immediately
  - ??.09.1875: Start of issuance of paper money issued by the National Bank of Haiti, denominated in US Dollar in silver ("piastre en espèce").
• 24.09.1880
• Currency law on the adoption of the bimetallic standard of the Latin Monetary Union; effective 23.09.1881.
  - The change of currency standard was triggered by the agreement of 30.07.1880 between the Haitian state and the French bank "Société Générale de Crédit Industriel et Commercial" on the concession for the "National Bank of Haiti"; ratified 30.09.1880.
  - On expiry, the said concession for the "National Bank of Haiti" was transferred to the French bank "Banque de l'Union Parisienne" by agreement of 05.09.1910; ratified 21.10.1910.
• 24.09.1881
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 24.09.1881: Start of issuance of the new banknotes by the National Bank and coins by the government
  - 18.11.1893: Demonetization of the 1817/1826 silver subsidiary coins re-issued in 1870; effective 17.05.1894.
• 28.08.1883
• Law on the issuance of state paper money by the national treasury (backed by import duties); effective immediately
• 12.04.1919
• Agreement between the Haitian government and the National Bank of Haiti on a currency reform and introduction of a peg to the US Dollar; effective 17.05.1919.
  - The change of currency standard was triggered by the purchase of the concession for operating the "National Bank of Haiti" by the US-American bank "National City Bank" from the "Banque de l'Union Parisienne" on 07.03.1919; ratified 31.07.1922.

Valuation Regimes

• 1872-1881
• Fixed rate against US Dollar in silver
• 1881-1919
• Nominally, metallic currency based on circulating gold and silver coins. No gold coins were produced and the currency was effectively dominated by bank and state paper money, inflationary after 1900.
• 1919-1991
• Fixed rate against US Dollar
• 1991-
• Variable rate