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5 Tiền - Tự Đức
| Issuer | Imperial Court of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848-1883 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central round hole surrounded by a radiating sunburst or solar rosette motif with finely cast pointed petals. The four Chinese characters of the reign legend 嗣德通寶 are disposed in cruciform arrangement around the central hole, reading top-to-bottom and right-to-left. The field is plain and unadorned beyond the inscription, while the entire design is enclosed within an elaborate inner border of overlapping wave or cloud scrolls and an outer beaded rim, all executed in the high-relief cast style characteristic of Nguyễn dynasty coinage. |
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| Reverse description | Central round hole encircled by a large multi-petalled sunburst rosette, around which coils a sinuous imperial dragon rendered in high relief amidst stylised clouds and waves. The dragon's ferocious head is depicted at the top of the field, gazing downward toward the central aperture, with its scaled body spiralling through the surrounding decorative elements. To the right of the central hole, the Chinese character 龍 (dragon) appears in the field, while additional auspicious motifs fill the remaining space. The entire composition is framed by an inner border of overlapping wave scrolls and an outer beaded rim, consistent with the refined casting tradition of the Nguyễn imperial mint. |
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Tự Đức reigned through one of the most turbulent periods in Vietnamese history, presiding over the French seizure of Cochinchina in 1862 and the progressive dismantling of imperial authority that followed. Silver coinage from his court was issued continuously across a 35-year reign, but production was frequently disrupted — the Huế mint operated under conditions of chronic financial strain, and French military pressure after 1858 complicated the supply of bullion to the imperial treasury.
KM#459 is among the heavier silver issues of the reign, and survivors in problem-free condition are genuinely scarce given the economic dislocation of the period.