Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3037 Sess. 1 4 January 2015
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Haiti
Henry Christopher State of Haiti 15 Sols 1807 MS61 NGC, Cap Haitien mint, KM6. Toned Mint State, very lustrous with only scattered handling marks thus a truly remarkable specimen for this crude and very scarce 3-year type. Henry Christophe (or Christopher, as he referred to himself) remains one of the most fascinating figures in Haiti's turbulent history. Many historical sources place him as a 14-year old drummer boy of the Saint Domingue French volunteer forces that took part of the Siege of Savannah during the American Revolutionary War. He later was one of the main heroes of Haiti's Independence struggle alongside future Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines. Following the latter's assassination on October 1806, Christophe took control of the Northern part of the island and was elected President of the nascent State of Haiti on February 17, 1807 (Alexandre Petion would be elected President of the Republic of Haiti in the South). He would later proclaim himself Emperor of the northern Kingdom of Haiti on March 26, 1811. One of his first measures as acting President was to address the problem of the circulating media which represented a multitude of issues from different monetary standards. Authorized by decree of September 2, 1807, the issues of 1807-1809 were minted at a rudimentary facility directed by Engineer Faraud from dies manufactured by engraver Auberg. Despite being struck under the authority of the aforementioned State of Haiti, this charming issue nevertheless clearly reveals Christopher's already strong authority since it depicts his "HC" monogram and personal coat of arms on the reverse. Although obviously very crude and ultimately a technical failure, this issue obviously circulated much since Mint State examples are incredibly elusive, the usual collectible grade being F (note for example that the best example of the type in the famed Ray Byrne collection was only XF - Jess Peters Sale 78, lot 633, described as VF for issue). This handsome example ranks among the very finest extant of the type and should therefore attract considerable interest.
Estimate: 5000-6000 USD
Henry Christopher State of Haiti 15 Sols 1807 MS61 NGC, Cap Haitien mint, KM6. Toned Mint State, very lustrous with only scattered handling marks thus a truly remarkable specimen for this crude and very scarce 3-year type. Henry Christophe (or Christopher, as he referred to himself) remains one of the most fascinating figures in Haiti's turbulent history. Many historical sources place him as a 14-year old drummer boy of the Saint Domingue French volunteer forces that took part of the Siege of Savannah during the American Revolutionary War. He later was one of the main heroes of Haiti's Independence struggle alongside future Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines. Following the latter's assassination on October 1806, Christophe took control of the Northern part of the island and was elected President of the nascent State of Haiti on February 17, 1807 (Alexandre Petion would be elected President of the Republic of Haiti in the South). He would later proclaim himself Emperor of the northern Kingdom of Haiti on March 26, 1811. One of his first measures as acting President was to address the problem of the circulating media which represented a multitude of issues from different monetary standards. Authorized by decree of September 2, 1807, the issues of 1807-1809 were minted at a rudimentary facility directed by Engineer Faraud from dies manufactured by engraver Auberg. Despite being struck under the authority of the aforementioned State of Haiti, this charming issue nevertheless clearly reveals Christopher's already strong authority since it depicts his "HC" monogram and personal coat of arms on the reverse. Although obviously very crude and ultimately a technical failure, this issue obviously circulated much since Mint State examples are incredibly elusive, the usual collectible grade being F (note for example that the best example of the type in the famed Ray Byrne collection was only XF - Jess Peters Sale 78, lot 633, described as VF for issue). This handsome example ranks among the very finest extant of the type and should therefore attract considerable interest.
Estimate: 5000-6000 USD