Money in New France

MSS-036 (www.maplestarsandstripes.com/36)

“Cash ” Chronology ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1608- Bartering (food, tobacco, cloth, silver items, and weapons for

pelts) Early 1600s- Double tournois (value-2 deniers); low-denomination coin sent to New France 1640s - Other coins found in the colony (ex: louis d’or worth 10 livres; écu worth about 3 livres; liard worth 3 deniers) Sandra 1670 - 5- and 15-sous (or sols) coins sent to North American colonies 1680s- Foreign coins found in New France due to illegal trade with Goodwin Dutch and English colonies. Because of unknown values, coins had to be weighed. 1685 - Because of illegal trade and reduction of fur trade, government collected fewer taxes. Intendant of Justice, Police and Finance, http://www.maplestarsandstripes .com Jacques de Meulles, could not pay soldiers. He used soldiers’ playing cards as ‘card money.’ Cards were quartered, signed, and assigned [email protected] a value. Intended as a temporary measure, the practice ended the following year. Copyright 2015 Goodwin Genealogy Productions 1685- France objected to card money over concerns of inflation and counterfeiting.

1689 to 1719- Card money back in use. 1690 - Pierre Malidor flogged and sold into bondage for counterfeiting. 1713- After signing the treaty ending the war with England, France was financially strapped and could only back a quarter of the paper money in New France. 1717- High inflation 1719 - End of card money lead to decline in trade and industry. 1720- Louis d’or worth 54 livres. 1721 to 1722- Colonists suffered major recession. 1729- After using variety of promissory notes called ordonnances, France again issued highly regulated card m oney redeemable in France. Mistrust in paper money. 1736- Louis Mallet and wife Marie Moore hanged for counterfeiting. Son Louis Marie sent back to France. 1750s - Inflation so high that Montcalm noted that in 1759 it cost eight times more for provisions than in 1755. 1759- France stopped payment on notes. 1760 - Word reached New France; lead to financial panic. After the conquest- France redeemed the card and paper money at from 20% to 85% of value. By 1771- Paper money was worthless.

from National Numismatic Collection, National Museum of American History

Money in New France 2

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Courtesy of Nikisiou.

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Money in New France 3

Sources

Playing Card Money (http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/playing-card-money/) Playing Card Money of New France (http://basementgeographer.com/playing-card-money-of-new-france/) New France (ca. 1600-1770) (http://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/1600-1770.pdf)

The Paper Currencies of New France (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1817526?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents) The Quest for Confidence: 400 Years of Money – from La Nouvelle France to Canada Today

(http://www.bankofcanada.ca/2008/11/quest-confidence-400-years-money/) Champlain ’s Dream by David Hackett Fischer Introduction to New France by Marcel Trudeau

from the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution

Historical Worth There is no way to determine the equivalent of an amount of our ancestor’s money and today’s value. There are too many varied factors at play. What we can do is compare people’s salaries to today’s equivalent job, or compare the value of goods. Sources:

Sur les Traces de Nos Ancêtres: Chronique de L’Amérique du Nord Francophone by Michèle Villegas-Kerlinger, p. 91 (http://www.amazon.com/sur-traces-nos-anc%C3%AAtres/dp/2760531155?tag=mapstaandstr- 20&linkCode=w13&linkID=&ref_=assoc_res_sw_us_dka_crp_c_result_1&ref- refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fmaplestarsandstripes.com%2F )

Monetary Values in 1650-1750 in New France Compared to Today, compiled by Gerry Lalonde, member of ACGS (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~unclefred/MONETARY.htm)

Marine Pay (1744, Louisbourg)-from La Marine: The French Colonial Soldier on Canada, 1745-1761 by Gallup and Shaffer