Annam, Tu-Duc Thong-Bao, One Mach
Annam, Tu-Duc Thong-Bao, One Mach
Extremely large 100-cash coins. Minted during AD 1848-1883 by Vietnem (Annam) central government. This large coin is minted as luck coin, while can also be circulated in the market as 100-cash large coin.
Obverse Side: Tu Duc Thong Bao (Si-De Tong-Bao).
Reverse side: Chinese Luck Characters ("Fu-Ru-Dong-Hai and Shou-Bi-Nan-Shan", which means good luck and long live).
Diameter: 50 mm. Weight: around 28 to 30 gram. 130 USD @ coinsxzh
Notes: "The Coins of One Mạch
In an edict of 1837 (during the era of Minh Mạng), "it is ruled under the terms of the law that the large monies of brass bearing moral inscriptions will have the value of a Mạch. One will make use of it in transactions and their value is thus fixed for all (Schroeder 268).” Under Tự Đức one sees again the same types of Minh Mạng whose certain inscriptions appear completely paradoxical when compared to the situation of the country, like “Quốc Phú, Binh Cường, Nội An. Ngoại Tĩnh”, “to enrich the country, to strengthen the army, interior exterior at peace and calm", and some of the others are as contrary to practice, “Thọ Lộc Vu Thiên, Bảo Hựu Mạng Chi”, "filled with honors by Heaven, it preserves the Mandate" (fig 6, MVC: 1827). The money value of these coins was not modified and their circulation is attested to by a change box preserved at Musée Monetaire de L’Administration des Monnaies et Médales which contains 5 bindings of 10 of these coins which corresponds to a value of 5 quan (AMM: 74-75).
Added by Craig Greenbaum:
The one Mạch coins were issued under the reigns of Minh Mạng Thiệu Trị and Tự Đức. There are many legends on these coins some of which are poetic in nature, derived from Confucian ideals or from other Chinese literature (Barker 274). The collector should note that there are many fakes of these coins on the market. Some of these fakes date back to the time of French Colonial rule. The following in my collection are two examples of a type issued by Minh Mang with the inscription Quốc Thái Dân An Phong Ðiều Vũ Thuần. Country Prospers, People Content, Wind and Rain Plentiful.". “Monnaies et circulation monétaire au Vietnam dans l’ère Tự Đức (1848-1883) by Francois Thierry. Published in Revue Numismatique 1999 (volume # 154).