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Thái Bình Thông Bảo - Nguyễn Lords
| Issuer | Nguyễn Lords (Đàng Trong) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1687-1725 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform order around a central square hole, reading clockwise from the top: 太 (tài), 通 (tōng), 平 (píng), 寶 (bǎo), forming the reign legend 太平通寶 (Thái Bình Thông Bảo). The characters are rendered in a bold, slightly irregular cast style typical of Vietnamese cash coinage of the Nguyễn Lords period. A raised inner rim frames the square central perforation, and a plain outer border encircles the coin. The field shows characteristic casting texture with light patination. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain, largely flat field surrounding the central square hole, with two raised dots positioned side by side above the perforation. The reverse is otherwise devoid of inscription or decorative elements, with a raised inner rim bordering the square hole and a plain outer rim encircling the flan. The two dots serve as a mint or issue control mark distinguishing this variety from the no-dot and one-dot reverse variants. Surface shows even casting texture with green-brown patination consistent with age. |
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| Additional information |
The Nguyễn Lords of Đàng Trong issued their own cash coins independently of the Lê emperors they nominally served, a quiet assertion of autonomous authority in the southern domains. The Thái Bình Thông Bảo series spans the administrations of Nguyễn Phúc Thái and Nguyễn Phúc Chu — a period of aggressive southward expansion into former Cham and Khmer territories that demanded a functioning local monetary supply well beyond what could arrive from the north.
Barker 83.5 is distinguished within the series by specific reverse calligraphy variants catalogued by Joseph Barker through die-comparison work on Southeast Asian cash coinage.