REPUBLIC OF HAITI
REIGN OF PRESIDENT FOR LIFE FRANCOIS "PAPA DOC" DUVALIER (1957-1971)
COMMEMORATING HENRI CHRISTOPHE, KING OF HAITI (1811-1820)
GOLD 250 GOURDES COIN CERTIFIED BY NGC PROOF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
KM # 75
OBVERSE: NATIONAL ARMS; DENOMINATION AND DATE BENEATH.
REVERSE: UPPER FIELD UNIFORMED FACING HALF BUST OF HENRI CHRISTOPHE, LIFE DATES (1767-1820) ABOVE WAVES RIGHT OF BUST AND DEPICTION OF LA CITADELLE LAFERRIÈRE LEFT OF BUST; CROWNED ARMS OF THE KINGDOM OF HAITI WITH CROWNED LION SUPPORTERS BENEATH BUST.
49 MM IN DIAMETER
CONTAINS 75.95 GRAMS OF .585 FINE GOLD (1.4284 OZ ACTUAL GOLD WEIGHT)
ONLY 435 MINTED
"IC" MINTMARK
THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION BEGAN IN 1791 AND ENDED IN 1804. KRAUSE CATALOG CALLS MOST HAITIAN COINS ISSUED FROM 1967-1970 "10th ANIVERSARY OF THE REVOLUTION" ISSUES. THIS IS ERRONEOUS. "PAPA DOC" WAS ENTRENCHED IN 1957, THE ISSUES ARE MORE LIKLEY HAVING TO DO WITH THE START OF HIS REIGN. HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT BY POPULAR VOTE, AND THOUGH HIS RULE WAS A BLOODY ONE, THERE WAS NO REVOLUTION BRINGING HIM TO POWER.
HENRI CHRISTOPHE (b. 1767; d. 1820) WAS BORN A SLAVE IN GRANADA AND BROUGHT TO THE FRENCH COLONY OF SAINT -DOMINGUE. HE IS THOUGHT TO HAVE SERVED AS A DRUMMER WITH THE HAITIAN REGIMENT, CHASSEURS-VOLONTAIRES, A MIXED RACE REGIMENT OF THE FRENCH FORCES THAT FOUGHT ALONGSIDE THE CONTINENTAL ARMY AT THE BATTLE OF SAVANNAH IN 1779. AS A SLAVE HE HAD WORKED AS A MASON, SAILOR, BILLIARD MAKER, STABLE HAND, A WAITER AND A HOTEL RESTAURANT MANAGER IN THE MAJOR FRENCH COLONIAL CITY AND CAPITAL OF SAINT-DOMINGUE, CAP-FRANCAIS (NOW CAP-HAITÏEN). HE IS SAID TO HAVE GAINED HIS FREEDOM BEFORE THE SLAVE UPRISING OF 1791, AND MADE ENOUGH MONEY TO PURCHASE HIS SISTER'S FREEDOM AS WELL. IN THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION (1791-1804) HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF IN THE RANKS AND ROSE QUICKLY TO BECOME AN OFFICER. HE FOUGHT IN THE NORTH OF THE COLONY WITH THE LEADER OF THE REVOLUTION, TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE "THE BLACK NAPOLEON", FOR MANY YEARS. HIS MILITARY PROWESS HELPED DEFEAT THE FRENCH COLONIALS, THE BRITISH, THE SPANISH AND THE FRENCH NATIONAL ARMY. HE WAS PROMOTED TO GENERAL BY 1802. WHEN LOUVERTURE WAS BETRAYED, CAPTURED AND DEPORTED TO FRANCE, CHRISTOPHE FOUGHT ON UNDER JEAN JACQUES DESSALINES. WHEN DESSALINES PROCLAIMED HAITIAN INDEPENDENCE IN 1804, HE ALSO PROCLAIMED HIMSELF EMPEROR. DESSALINES WAS ASSASSINATED IN 1806, AND CHRISTOPHE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT, BUT GIVEN NO REAL POWER. A STRUGGLE FOR POWER ENSUED BETWEEN ANOTHER REVOLUTIONARY LEADER, ALEXANDRE PÉTTION AND GENERAL CHRISTOPHE. CHRISTOPHE WENT NORTH WITH HIS FOLLOWERS AND ESTABLISHED THE STATE OF HAITI, WHERAS PÉTION REMAINED IN THE SOUTH AND WAS ELECTED FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI. THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE MALATTOES OF THE SOUTH AND THE BLACK EX-SLAVES IN THE NORTH CONTINUED, DRAGGING ON FOR TEN YEARS UNTIL A TREATY OFFICIALLY SPLIT THE COUNTRY IN TWO. CHRISTOPHE DECLARED HIS STATE TO BE THE KINGDOM OF HAITI IN 1811. KING HENRI RULED AS A DESPOT, SETTING UP A NOBILITY FOR HIS SUPPORTERS AND USING HIS SUBJECTS AS FORCED OR FEUDAL LABOR IN THE SUGAR CANE FIELDS AND FOR HIS MASSIVE BUILDING PROJECTS LIKE THE CITADEL (LA CITADELLE LAFERRIÈRE) AND HIS PALACE OF SANS SOUCI. HIS UNPOPULAR AND AUTOCRATIC RULE CAME TO AN END IN 1820, WHEN HE COMMITED SUICIDE BY SHOOTING HIMSELF IN THE HEAD WITH A SILVER BULLET RATHER THAN BE REMOVED OR ASSASSINATED.
