Vietnamese coin – HCR58927

Obverse

Inscription:

祥元通寶

Design:

元 in seal script (Vietnamese style); other characters in regular script; 通 narrow with triangular head.

Reverse

Inscription:

crescent and star to left and right of hole respectively

Design:

Wide outer and narrow inner rims

Information

Period

Vietnamese

Denomination

1 Đồng (tiền gián)

Material

brass

Technique

cast

Dating

c. 1600 – c. 1900?

Measurements
Acquisition
Additional information
Ticket
References
Credit

Weight (g)

1.69

Diameter (mm)

Acquisition method

gift

Acquisition collection reference

Christopher Thomas Gardner (1842-1914) collection

Acquisition date

29/10/1947

Source

Captain Roger Laird

Acquisition credit

Presented by Captain Roger Laird, 1947.

Transliteration (obverse)

Tường Nguyên Thông Bảo

Reference

Thierry CMVS : Page 48, cf Figure 125

Note:

The style of script used in the example figured by Thierry is quite distinct from that in this coin

Reference

Hartill GCC : Page 147, Figure 2.885

Note:

Hartill's figure (GCC, p. 147, Figure 2.885) corresponds closely to the design of HCR 58927 and 58911. Hartilll (GCC, p. 147) assigns this coin to his category: Small Copper - Distinct Calligraphy. Group 3. ("Narrow Bao Type"). This is equivalent to the 祥元手 “Xiang Yuan style”/ Tường Nguyên Hand group postulated by Miura Gosen in his book, Annam Senpu Teruisen-nobu, (Annamese Coins Catalogue Classified by Calligraphy into Mints). Tokyo, 1963. On the Zeno Oriental Coins Database, #161061, #167803 and #161062 belong to this type. Craig Greenbaum has identified this Tường Nguyên Thông Bảo coin with the one illustrated in Anasen Nyumon, p. 146, Figure 14. A broad provisional dating range of c. 1600 – c. 1900 has been tentatively assigned to this coin.

Contributors to this coin record

jmairat, mritchie, cgallacher