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7 Tiền - Minh Mạng Thông Bảo
| Issuer | Empire of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1841 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters arranged in a cruciform reading order — top to bottom, right to left — forming the reign title legend 'Minh Mạng Thông Bảo,' meaning 'Universal currency of the Minh Mạng reign.' A stylized solar disc occupies the central field between the four ideograms. The characters are rendered in regular script (kaishu) in high relief against a plain field, with no border ornament. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 明 寛 通 命 (Translation: Minh Mạng Thông Bảo Minh Mạng (Emperor) / Universal currency) |
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| Additional information |
Minh Mạng, who reigned from 1820 to 1841, was the most administratively ambitious of the Nguyễn emperors — he reorganized Vietnam's provinces, suppressed Catholic missionaries with increasing severity, and overhauled the imperial coinage system inherited from his father Gia Long. The 7 tiền denomination sat near the top of the silver coin hierarchy, issued in quantities that reflected state ceremony and tributary exchange rather than everyday commerce.
KM#190 and KM#191 represent distinct varieties within this type, differing in calligraphic rendering of the cash inscription — a distinction that mattered to contemporary officials receiving them as salary payments from the imperial treasury.