Haiti. Henri I. King of Northern Haiti, 1811-1820. Proof Pattern Crown (2 Gourdes) 1820 H-LM PR61 NGC. (Silver, 40 mm, 27.52 g). Birmingham Mint. HENRICUS DEI GRATIA HAITI REX 1820. Laureate and armored bust of Henri I right. Rev.: DEUS CAUSA ATQUE GLADIUS MEUS. L'AN 17. Crowned coat of arms inscribed EX CINERIBUS NASCITUR with phoenix with open wings on stake; in the field on the sides, H LM surmounted by crown. KM-Pn37; Arroyo-HA#P127 (plate coin); Fonrobert-7502; Guttag-2088E; Weyl 7502. Wonderfully patinated. Uncirculated and finest certified SP61 by PCGS. Extremely Rare. A freed slave, later King of Haiti, he initially joined the rebellion of the black population in Santo Domingo in 1791, aligning himself with the leaders Toussaint Louverture and J.-J. Dessalines. However, in 1802, having abandoned Louverture alongside Dessalines, he switched allegiance to the French. Nevertheless, the restoration of slavery soon pushed him back against the French, who were ultimately forced to abandon the island in 1803. After serving as Dessalines' lieutenant—whose assassination in 1806 he likely contributed to—he succeeded in proclaiming himself King of Haiti on 28 March 1811, asserting control over the southern part of the island. Faced with uprisings from his own subjects and threats from soldiers in the northern region of Haiti, he took his own life.