Minh Mạng reigned longer than any other Nguyễn emperor and oversaw a dramatic centralization of Vietnamese administration, including direct imperial control over the treasury and minting apparatus. The Board of Revenue struck these gold cash pieces not for everyday commerce but as presentation and ceremonial objects — salary payments to high officials, gifts within the court hierarchy, and occasionally rewards for military service. Ordinary circulation was handled entirely in copper.
The 1½ tiền denomination is unusual enough that surviving examples almost invariably show minimal wear.
Minh Mạng reigned longer than any other Nguyễn emperor and oversaw a dramatic centralization of Vietnamese administration, including direct imperial control over the treasury and minting apparatus. The Board of Revenue struck these gold cash pieces not for everyday commerce but as presentation and ceremonial objects — salary payments to high officials, gifts within the court hierarchy, and occasionally rewards for military service. Ordinary circulation was handled entirely in copper.
The 1½ tiền denomination is unusual enough that surviving examples almost invariably show minimal wear.