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2 1/2 Tien - Tự Đức
| Issuer | Nguyễn Dynasty (Imperial Mint of Vietnam) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1883 |
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| Value | 21/2 Tien (2.5) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Four large Chinese characters arranged in cruciform disposition within the plain field, reading 嗣德通寶 — the reign title of Emperor Tự Đức (嗣德) flanking a central decorative motif at top and bottom, with 通 (circulating) to the right and 寶 (treasure) to the left. At the centre of the cross, a flaming pearl or sacred jewel rendered in relief serves as a focal ornament, surrounded by stylised flame elements. The characters are deeply cast in bold relief in the Vietnamese Nguyễn court calligraphic style, set against a flat, unadorned field. The coin's rim is plain and rounded, consistent with Imperial Vietnamese cast gold coinage of the mid-nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
Tự Đức reigned through arguably the most turbulent decades in Vietnamese imperial history — the French seized Saigon in 1859, and by 1867 had absorbed the six provinces of Cochinchina entirely. Gold issues from his reign were struck across that entire arc of colonial encroachment, and court expenditure on tributary gifts and diplomatic payments to both the Nguyễn bureaucracy and foreign powers kept denominated gold in active institutional use well past the point where French pressure had destabilized the southern economy.
The 2½ tien denomination is an unusual fractional unit, likely tied to specific ceremonial or tributary accounting conventions rather than everyday exchange.