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5 Tiền - Minh Mạng Thông Bảo
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1841 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | KM#188 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, regular script) |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a powerfully rendered imperial dragon in high relief, its horned head facing forward at the top of the field with prominent eyes, open jaws, and detailed scales, its sinuous body coiling downward around a central radiant sunburst with a raised boss, mirroring the obverse motif. The dragon's clawed limbs and scaled tail are visible amid stylized cloud and wave scrollwork that fills the field, conveying dynamic imperial majesty. To the right of the central device, the character 龍 (Long, meaning dragon) appears, with the character 文 (Văn, meaning cash or script) to the left. The entire composition is enclosed by the same elaborate wave-scroll border and outer beaded rim as the obverse, maintaining aesthetic continuity. The casting quality is exceptional, with crisp relief throughout, exemplifying the refined artistry of Nguyễn dynasty imperial silver coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Minh Mạng, the second Nguyễn emperor, presided over a dramatic consolidation of imperial authority and a corresponding formalization of the Vietnamese monetary system. The 5 Tiền denomination in silver sat near the top of everyday transactional coinage and circulated alongside a parallel cash-coin economy in copper and zinc — an arrangement that created persistent exchange-rate tensions throughout his reign. Minh Mạng's administration was also deeply suspicious of foreign silver, particularly Spanish and Mexican pesos, which had flooded Indochina through maritime trade and which his treasury worked actively to displace with domestically struck issues.
Production ran across the full twenty-one years of his reign with no single mint monopoly — regional casting and striking practices introduced subtle but documentable variation between early and late issues.