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1 Văn - Đại Định different character distribution, private issue?
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1140-1162 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Cast |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters arranged around the central square hole in a cross configuration, reading 大定通寶 (Đại Định Thông Bảo). The characters are rendered in standard script (kaishu) within a raised circular border, with the character 大 positioned at the top, 定 to the right, 通 at the bottom, and 寶 to the left — a distribution noted as atypical from the standard reading order, suggesting a possible private or unofficial issue. The fields between the characters are plain. The coin displays the broad flat rim characteristic of Vietnamese cast cash coinage of the Lý dynasty period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1140-1162) |
| Additional information |
The Đại Định reign of Lý Anh Tông spanned over two decades, long enough to produce considerable variation in cash coin production. The "different character distribution" designation flags an arrangement of the four reign-title characters that deviates from the standard rotational order — a phenomenon common in Vietnamese cash coinage where provincial or private casting introduced local idiosyncrasies. The "private issue?" qualifier reflects genuine scholarly uncertainty: Toda himself acknowledged that workshop attribution for Lý-dynasty cash remains unresolved, as both state foundries and licensed private casters operated concurrently, often using the same inscription with subtly different casting geometry.