French Indochina 1939 1/2 cent
French Indochina was created by France upon taking control of the areas of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam in the 19th Century. It was then 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. The first specimen is a holed bronze half cent piece with the privy mark of the Paris Mint. The second specimen was lot 34462 in Heritage sale 3038 (Dallas, January 2015), where it sold for $528.75. The catalog description[1] noted, "French Colony zinc 1/2 Cent 1939 XF, A rare sub-type struck in zinc instead of the usual bronze. Well struck for this issue."
Recorded mintage: 17,305,000.
Specification: 4 g, bronze (KM 20) or 3.04 g, zinc (KM 20a), 21 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 20, KM 20a.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3037, featuring the Empire, the Santa Catarina, the Law and the Santa Maria Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
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