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1 Cash - Tự Đức Thông Bảo
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1868 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cash |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square hole surrounded by a raised square border, around which four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) are arranged in the traditional cash coin format, read top-to-bottom and right-to-left: 嗣 (top), 通 (right), 德 (bottom), 寶 (left), forming the legend 嗣德通寶 (Tự Đức Thông Bảo). The characters are boldly cast in raised relief within the flat field. A plain raised rim encircles the entire obverse. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Tự Đức reigned for the longest stretch of any Nguyễn emperor — 35 years — but his tenure was defined less by stability than by relentless crisis: Tonkin rebellions, Cham unrest, and the catastrophic French naval assault on Đà Nẵng in 1858 followed by the seizure of Saigon in 1859. Cash coin production continued throughout, but the court's fiscal pressures pushed mints toward increasingly debased and underweight output as the reign wore on. The variation in fabric and weight across surviving examples reflects this deterioration directly.