Cambodia 1860 piastre
This specimen was lot 43050 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "Astounding Southeast Asian Trade Coinage With Denomination in Five Different Languages, CAMBODIA. Piastre, 1860. Brussels Mint. Norodom I. NGC MS-62. A remarkable example of a supremely impressive and always coveted type, this pleasing Mint State specimen offers warm surface complexion, with sharp details and minimal handling. Some light marks prevent a higher grade, though these are miniscule and barely worth a mention, as any Mint State example of the type is tremendously RARE. An example that will be most desired when it crosses the auction block." In 1860, Norodom ordered a series of patterns from Europe (mint not known but likely Paris or Brussels) for a proposed milled coinage which never came off. Silver piastres, four francs, two francs, one francs, fifty centimes and twenty-five centimes and bronze ten, five, two and one centimes were prepared, all conforming to French standards. Later, pieforts and off-metal strikes were made and sold to collectors, leading to a profusion of listings in the Unusual World Coins.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27 g, 0.900 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KMX-M9; Lec-88.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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