This pattern was produced in anticipation of a modernized Cambodian coinage under Norodom I, whose reign began in 1860 — which creates an immediate problem: an 1847 date places this piece during the reign of his predecessor, Ang Duong, suggesting the attribution or date requires scrutiny. Pattern issues from this transitional period in Cambodian numismatics are poorly documented, and KM#Pn2 sits in a catalog section with acknowledged gaps. White metal was the standard trial medium for European-produced colonial patterns, pointing strongly toward French manufacture, likely Paris, as Cambodia had no facility capable of producing struck coinage domestically at this date.
This pattern was produced in anticipation of a modernized Cambodian coinage under Norodom I, whose reign began in 1860 — which creates an immediate problem: an 1847 date places this piece during the reign of his predecessor, Ang Duong, suggesting the attribution or date requires scrutiny. Pattern issues from this transitional period in Cambodian numismatics are poorly documented, and KM#Pn2 sits in a catalog section with acknowledged gaps. White metal was the standard trial medium for European-produced colonial patterns, pointing strongly toward French manufacture, likely Paris, as Cambodia had no facility capable of producing struck coinage domestically at this date.