20 Sen - Norodom Suramarit

Cambodia's first national coinage was issued in 1959, three years after independence from France, with the National Bank of Cambodia established specifically to replace the Indochinese piastre system that had persisted through the colonial period. Norodom Suramarit, father of Norodom Sihanouk, reigned only from 1955 until his death in 1960, making his appearance on circulating coinage a narrow window. The aluminium-magnesium alloy was a deliberate choice for a newly independent economy keeping production costs minimal.