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4 Tiền - Bao Dai
| Issuer | Vietnam, Empire of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1926-1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Tien |
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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 | Central field features a stylized solar or flaming orb motif flanked by dragon heads in low relief, rendered in the traditional Vietnamese imperial artistic style. Four large Chinese characters are arranged around the central device in the cardinal positions of the field, reading 保大寳鑑 (Bao Dai Bao Chien), referencing the reign title of Emperor Bao Dai. The entire design is bordered by a raised inner ring of evenly spaced beads. A small hole is present at the top of the flan, suggesting the piece may have been intended for suspension as an ornamental or ceremonial object. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
Bảo Đại ascended the throne in 1926 as a French-educated teenager, and the gold tiền denominations issued under his reign were minted to traditional Nguyễn dynasty specifications — a deliberate continuity with the coinage of Gia Long and Minh Mạng rather than any French colonial standard. The 4 tiền weight of approximately 16.5g traces directly to the pre-colonial Vietnamese cash system, not the metric framework France imposed elsewhere in Indochina.
Bảo Đại abdicated in August 1945 under pressure from the Việt Minh, ending both the dynasty and the series.