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15 Sols - Henri Christophe Essai
| Issuer | Haiti (1804-date) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1808 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 15 Sols = ¾ Livre |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A seated Liberty figure occupies the central field, draped in classical robes and facing right, holding a liberty pole surmounted by a Phrygian cap in her raised right hand. Her left hand rests upon a large oval shield decorated with stars above and a sunburst motif below. The figure is rendered in a neoclassical style consistent with early post-revolutionary coinage. The circumferential legend reads MONNOIE D'HAITY along the upper arc, with the denomination 15 SOLS inscribed in the lower exergual area. The entire design is framed by a beaded inner border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The central field features a large ornate script monogram of the interlaced letters HC, standing for Henri Christophe, rendered in an elegant cursive style. Above the monogram, a laurel wreath tied with a ribbon crowns the device. Beneath the monogram, a double horizontal rule separates the design from the date 1808 inscribed in the lower portion of the field. The circumferential legend LIBERTAS RELIGIO MORES arcs around the upper periphery, expressing the foundational virtues of the nascent Haitian state. A beaded border frames the entire reverse design. |
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| Additional information |
Henri Christophe issued these essais in 1808 while serving as President of the northern Haitian state, four years before he crowned himself King Henri I. The pieces were pattern strikes — never approved for circulation — produced at a moment when the young republic was still negotiating the basic architecture of its monetary system following the violent break from French colonial rule in 1804.
Christophe's northern administration and Pétion's southern republic ran parallel governments after the 1806 assassination of Dessalines, each pursuing separate monetary policies. This essai survives that fragmentation.