UK GB bond share 1827 Honduras POYAISIAN £500 RARE coup Start Price GBP 24.99 Current Price GBP 73.66 Time Left - Bid Count 13 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, August 29, 2008 End Time Monday, September 08, 2008 Location Luis Guillon, Buenos Aires See more about 'UK GB bond share 1827 Honduras POYAISIAN £500 RARE coup' Description 100% Original and Authentic, VERY Scarce, Rare and Old 1827 POYAISIAN THREE Pr Cent CONSOLIDATED Stock Bond£500with COUPONS, great SIZE This certificate is in aEF condition. The Republic of Poyais was the creation of Gregor MacGregor, the self styled 'Cacique of the Republic of Poyais'. This was an infamous fraud which attracted settlers to Honduras. Each 14" x 19" bond of 40 warrants is signed and blind sealed by Gregor MacGregor. They lack the paid warrants for the seven dividends honoured. Worn on creases, good condition. Gregor MacGregor (December 24, 1786 – December 3, 1845) was a Scottish soldier, adventurer and colonizer who fought in the South American struggle for independence. Upon his return to England in 1820, he claimed to be cazique of Poyais (also known as Principality of Poyais, Territory of Poyais, Republic of Poyais). Poyais was a fictional Central American country that MacGregor had invented which, with his help, drew investors and eventually colonists. Cazique of Poyais Gregor MacGregor came from Latin America to London, England, in 1820 and pronounced that he had been created cazique (or prince) of the Principality of Poyais, an independent nation on the Bay of Honduras. Native chief King George Frederic Augustus I of the Mosquito Shore and Nation had given him the territory of Poyais, 12,500 mile² (32,400 km²) of fertile land with untapped resources, a small number of settlers of British origin, and cooperative natives eager to please. He had created the beginnings of a country with civil service, army and democratic government. Now he needed settlers and investment and had come back to the United Kingdom to give people the opportunity. At the time, British merchants were all too eager to enter the South American market that Spain had denied to them. The region had already become more promising in the wake of wars of South American independence, when the new governments of Colombia, Chile and Peru had issued bonds in London Royal Exchange to raise money. London high society welcomed the colourful figure of MacGregor, and he and his Spanish-American wife Josefa received many invitations. The Lord Mayor of London Christopher Magnay even organized an official reception in London Guildhall. MacGregor claimed descent of clan MacGregor and that Rob Roy MacGregor had been his direct ancestor. He enhanced his allure by telling about his exploits in the Peninsular War and later in the service of Francisco de Miranda, Simón Bolívar and South American independence — tales which were rather embellished. MacGregor was also introduced to Major William John Richardson and by the winter of 1821 he had made Richardson legate of Poyais. He had also moved to Oak Hall in Richardson's estate in Essex, England, as befit his station as a prince. An office for the Legation of the Territory of Poyais was opened at Dowgate Hill in the City of London. MacGregor enhanced his popularity with elaborate banquets in Oak Hall and invited dignitaries like foreign ambassadors, government ministers and senior military officers. MacGregor also claimed that one of his ancestors was a rare survivor of the Darien Scheme, a failed Scottish attempt of colonization in Panama in 1690s. In order to compensate for this, he said, he had decided to draw most of the settlers from Scotland. For this purpose, he established offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In Edinburgh, MacGregor began to sell land rights for 3 shillings and 3 pence per acre (£40.15/km²). Note that the worker's weekly wage at the time was about £1, which meant that the price was very generous. The price steadily rose to 4 shillings (£0.20). Many people willing to have a new start in the new land signed on with their families. On October 23, 1822 MacGregor raised a loan with the total of £200,000 in behalf of the Poyais government. It was in the form of 2,000 bearer bonds worth £100 each. Also in 1822 MacGregor published a 350-page guidebook entitled Sketch of the Mosquito Shore, including the Territory of Poyais, descriptive of the country, supposedly written by one Captain Thomas Strangeways. It described the Poyais with glowing terms and mainly concentrated on how much profit one could get from the country's ample resources. Poyais was said to be a very anglophilic region with already existing infrastructure, untapped gold and silver mines and large amounts of fertile soil ready to be settled. The region was even free of tropical diseases. The book also claimed that British settlers had founded the capital of Poyais, St Joseph, in the 1730s.   Please, examine the photo scan, e-mail if any questions. Pay using your credit card through PayPal.  - Incomplete payments (no information or incorrect total) may be returned or refunded.- Order not paid in 7 consecutive days will be cancelled automatically without notice. I ship to anywhere in the world using - Correo Argentino (Argentinean Postal service): £ 3.90 airmail, registered with tracking number; I COMBINE THE SHIPPING COST! Shipping insurance is OPTIONAL (£ 2.90). I am not responsible for the lost items sent without insurance. International Buyer is responsible for any duties, taxes or broker's fees. Item sold AS IS. 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