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4 Tiền - Tự Đức
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1883 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Rectangular hammered silver bar with a raised recessed border framing four Chinese characters arranged vertically in two columns within the field. The inscription reads 嗣德年造 (Tự Đức Niên Tạo), meaning 'Made in the reign of Tự Đức,' rendered in bold, hand-engraved siniform script. The surface is slightly convex and irregular, consistent with traditional Vietnamese hammered silver ingot coinage. The legends are deeply incused against the plain silver field, with minor surface irregularities reflecting artisanal manufacture. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Rectangular hammered silver bar with a raised recessed border enclosing four vertically arranged Chinese characters in two columns. The inscription reads 內務銀肆錢 (Nội Vụ Ngân Tứ Tiền), meaning 'Internal Affairs Silver Four Tiền,' denoting both the issuing authority and the denomination. The characters are boldly hand-engraved in a vigorous siniform script, deeply struck into the silver field. The surface exhibits the characteristic slight convexity and artisanal irregularity typical of Vietnamese cast and hammered silver currency of the Nguyễn dynasty period. |
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| Additional information |
Tự Đức reigned through one of the most turbulent stretches in Vietnamese history — the French seized Saigon in 1859, and by 1862 the Treaty of Saigon had ceded three southern provinces outright. The imperial mint at Huế continued striking silver issues throughout, though the court's fiscal position deteriorated sharply as the 1870s wore on and French encroachment deepened.
KM#489 spans a 35-year reign, the longest of any Nguyễn emperor. Late-reign strikes are generally assumed to reflect reduced silver availability, though documented evidence on alloy consistency across the emission period remains sparse.