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250 Gourdes Henri Christophe
| Issuer | Banque Nationale de la République d'Haïti |
|---|---|
| Year | 1969-1970 |
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| Value | 250 Gourdes (250 HTG) |
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| Obverse description | Uniformed bust of King Henri Christophe facing slightly left occupies the upper central field, with a star-shaped decoration on his chest. Behind and to his left, a stylized depiction of the Citadelle Laferrière fortress rises against a plain background, while wavy lines suggesting the sea appear to the right. Birth and death dates 1767 and 1820 are inscribed in two lines to the right of the portrait. Below the bust, the royal coat of arms of Henri Christophe — supported by two lions and surmounted by a crown — is displayed prominently in the lower field. The circular legend REPUBLIQUE D'HAÏTI arcs along the upper rim, and ROI H. CHRISTOPHE is inscribed along the lower rim, all within a beaded border. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Henri Christophe declared himself King of northern Haiti in 1811 after the country's revolutionary leadership fractured along regional and racial lines following independence. He ruled until 1820, when a stroke left him partially paralyzed and a military revolt forced his hand — he shot himself with a silver bullet, according to accounts that may be apocryphal but have never been convincingly disproved. The 1969–70 issue belongs to a series of commemorative gold pieces authorized by the Duvalier government, which had a particular interest in marshaling Haiti's revolutionary history as political currency.
At roughly 76 grams of 14-karat gold, these were never circulation pieces — they were sold directly to collectors and foreign buyers.