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1 Cash - Gia Long Thông Bảo, with double rim
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1802-1820 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole surrounded by four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu), arranged in the traditional reading order: top (嘉), right (通), bottom (隆), left (寶), together reading 嘉隆通寶 (Gia Long Thông Bảo). The characters are rendered in bold, well-formed brushstroke style within the inner field. The coin displays a double raised rim — an inner rim bordering the legend and an outer rim defining the coin's edge — a distinguishing variety feature of this type. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 嘉隆通寶 (Gia Long Thông Bảo — "Gia Long Universal Currency") |
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| Additional information |
Gia Long, born Nguyễn Ánh, reunified Vietnam in 1802 after decades of civil war against the Tây Sơn dynasty — a conflict in which he famously secured French military assistance through the Treaty of Versailles of 1787. The cash coinage issued under his reign drew directly on the Chinese sapèque tradition, with the square central hole allowing coins to be strung on cords for ease of transaction in a largely non-monetized rural economy.
The double rim variety catalogued here represents a deliberate die modification, not a striking error. Barker distinguishes it from the standard issue on that basis alone.