South Vietnam 1975 50 dong
This specimen was lot 31951 in Heritage sale 3073 (Chicago, April 2019), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted, "South Vietnam. Republic 50 Dong 1975 MS62 PCGS. A lustrous example of this very scarce type. The obverse shows an area of patination to the very left side on/near the rim. It is reported that all but a few examples were disposed of as scrap metal. From the Engelen Collection of World Coinage." South Vietnam was conquered by the communists in 1975 and it is likely that the vendor who made the coins never got paid. The vendor created an instant rarity by scrapping the issue rather than selling them to collectors.
Recorded mintage: 1,010,000.
Specification: nickel plated steel.
Catalog reference: KM 14.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3073, featuring the Lake County Collection of British coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
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