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1 Văn - Hoàng Tống Thông Bảo Unofficial coin
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 25 mm |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by four large Chinese characters arranged in the cardinal positions, read in the traditional order: top, bottom, right, left. The four-character legend 皇宋通寶 (Hoàng Tống Thông Bảo) is rendered in regular script (kaishu) in raised relief. The characters are bold and well-spaced relative to the central hole. The coin features a plain raised inner rim encircling the square hole and a dotted or beaded outer rim bordering the coin's edge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hoàng Tống Thông Bảo pieces occupy an odd corner of Vietnamese numismatic history — unofficial cash coins produced outside imperial mint sanction, likely by private casters working during the turbulent mid-to-late Nguyễn period. The iron content in the brass alloy is the tell: official imperial cash was cast to tighter compositional standards, and magnetic response in a coin of this type almost certainly points to workshop production beyond court oversight. Whether these circulated freely alongside official issues or served more localized exchange purposes remains debated.