French Indochina 1931-A cent

from the Mountain Groan Collection

This one cent piece is one of a type issued for French Indo-China during 1908-39. The Poissy mint struck this type 1922-23; its products are marked with a thunderbolt instead of the usual "A" mintmark for Paris. Two privy marks are noted for 1931, a torch (shown here) and a wing. French Indochina was occupied by the Japanese in 1940. French attempts to reoccupy the area after World War Two were challenged by Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, leading to French defeat and withdrawal in 1954. The colony was divided into Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Recorded mintage: 5,318,000, a scarce date.

Specification: bronze, 26 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM 12.1.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.

Link to:

• 1923 cent
• French Indochina 1931 piastre
• 1936 50 cents
• 1938 cent
• 1939 cent
• Coins and currency dated 1931
• return to coins of French Indo-China