1 Mu - Mindon Min

Mindon Min broke with Konbaung dynastic tradition by establishing Burma's first modern mint at Mandalay in 1853, the same year this piece was struck. The decision was partly political — the Second Anglo-Burmese War had just concluded, stripping Burma of its southern coastal territories, and a formalized coinage system was one of several moves Mindon made to project sovereign administrative competence over what remained of his kingdom.

The mu was the smallest gold denomination in Mindon's hierarchical currency system, which also included the mat and kyat in ascending values.