Catalog
71/2 Sols - Henri Christophe Essai
| Issuer | State of Haiti |
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| Year | 1808 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | A seated allegorical female figure, representing Liberty, is depicted in the central field, shown in three-quarter view facing right. She is draped in classical robes and holds a long staff or pike surmounted by a liberty cap in her raised left hand, while her right hand rests upon an oval shield decorated with stars and a sunburst motif. Radiating lines emanate from behind the figure, lending the composition a dynamic, neoclassical character. The circumferential legend MONNOIE D'HAITY arcs around the upper and lateral border, separated from the field by a beaded inner ring, while the denomination 7 1/2 SOLS appears in the lower exergue. |
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| Reverse description | The central field features a large ornate cursive royal monogram HC — standing for Henri Christophe — rendered in an elegant interlaced script style. A laurel wreath crowns the monogram from above, symbolising honour and sovereignty. The field is otherwise plain, showing light radiating lines consistent with the die preparation typical of essai strikes. The circumferential legend LIBERTAS RELIGIO MORES arcs around the upper border within a beaded inner ring, translating as Liberty, Religion, Morality. The date 1808 is inscribed in the lower exergue, separated from the central device by a thin horizontal rule. |
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| Additional information |
Henri Christophe issued this essai in 1808 while consolidating power in the northern state following the assassination of Dessalines two years prior. Haiti was then functionally partitioned — Christophe controlling the north, Pétion the south — and the proposed coinage of this period reflects competing legitimacy claims rather than any unified monetary policy. This piece was never adopted for circulation.