30 Sols - Henri Christophe Essai

Henri Christophe issued this piece during the fractured period following Dessalines's assassination in October 1806, when Haiti split into a southern republic under Pétion and a northern state under Christophe. The essai designation is significant — Christophe's northern administration was still establishing its monetary framework, and pattern or trial pieces from this moment are exceptionally rare survivors of an institution being built from nothing.

KM#8 trial pieces seldom appear at auction. Most known examples trace back to a small number of European collections, suggesting the essais were sent abroad rather than circulated domestically.