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1 Crown - Henri Christophe Essai
| Issuer | Haiti (1804-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1813 |
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| Diameter | 40 mm |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of King Henry I (Henri Christophe) in high relief, wearing a military uniform with epaulette visible at the shoulder and a ruffled collar, his curly hair rendered in fine detail. The truncation is plain, and the effigy occupies the full height of the field. A circular legend surrounds the bust along the periphery, separated from the toothed border by a raised rim. A small six-pointed star ornament appears at the base of the legend. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Henri Christophe declared himself King Henri I of northern Haiti in 1811, having already controlled the region as a rival to the republic in the south under Pétion. The 1813 crown essai was struck as part of his effort to establish a monarchical coinage befitting his new court at Sans-Souci. Essais of this type were pattern pieces evaluating proposed designs — very few were produced, and none entered circulation. Christophe's kingdom collapsed in 1820 when he suffered a stroke and, facing a military revolt, shot himself with a silver bullet according to persistent contemporary accounts.