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5 Tiền - Tự Đức
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1883 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Tien |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a sinuous imperial dragon rendered in low relief, its scaled body coiling dynamically across the field with clawed feet extended and head facing forward in a frontal presentation. The dragon is surrounded by stylised clouds and auspicious motifs typical of Nguyễn dynasty iconography. Four Chữ Hán characters are distributed around the dragon, reading 龍 (dragon) at the top and 雲 (cloud) at the bottom, with additional characters to the left and right denoting denomination or auspicious meaning. The composition is enclosed by a plain raised rim, and the overall engraving style is characteristic of Vietnamese imperial hand-cut dies of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. |
| Reverse script | Chinese |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Tự Đức reigned during one of the most pressured periods in Vietnamese history, navigating French encroachment that culminated in the 1862 Treaty of Saigon ceding Cochinchina — a concession that drained the imperial treasury and destabilized the monetary system he had inherited. Silver coinage of this reign was cast rather than struck, using traditional sand-casting methods that had defined Vietnamese monetary production for centuries, and the variation in weight and surface texture between pieces reflects that process directly.
The 35-year span of this type means examples were produced under dramatically different fiscal conditions, early issues preceding the French treaties and later ones circulating as the empire contracted around them.