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1 Cash - Tự Đức Thông Bảo, zinc, Hà Nội
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1871 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by four raised Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu), arranged in cruciform fashion and read top-to-bottom then right-to-left: 嗣 (top), 通 (right), 寶 (left), 德 (bottom), forming the reign title and currency legend 嗣德通寶 (Tự Đức Thông Bảo). The characters are rendered in bold, slightly irregular strokes consistent with cast production. A raised inner rim borders the central hole, and a plain outer rim frames the coin's edge. The overall style is typical of Vietnamese Nguyễn dynasty cash coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central square perforation flanked by two Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu), one to the right and one to the left of the hole, reading 河 (right) and 內 (left), together forming 河內 (Hà Nội), identifying the Hanoi mint. The characters are cast in low relief within plain fields, with a raised inner rim around the perforation and a plain outer rim. The reverse is otherwise unadorned, consistent with standard Vietnamese cash coinage of the Nguyễn period. |
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| Additional information |
Zinc cash coins from Tự Đức's reign were an emergency measure — traditional Vietnamese cash had always been cast in copper or bronze, but mid-19th century fiscal strain, compounded by costly military campaigns against French incursion and persistent domestic rebellions including the Lê Duy Cự uprising, forced the Board of Revenue to authorize base-metal issues. Zinc was abundant and cheap; it was also deeply unpopular with the Vietnamese public, who hoarded or refused the coins wherever possible.
The Hà Nội attribution reflects casting at the northern metropolitan mint rather than the imperial facilities at Huế.