Vietnam 1946 2 dong
This specimen was lot 73621 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, June 2020), where it sold for $95. The catalog description[1] noted, "VIETNAM. 2 Dong, 1946. PCGS AU-55 Gold Shield. A wholesome, lightly circulated example of the type with an appearance that exceeds many of the Mint State certified examples seen." The French gradually conquered Indochina (Annam, Tonkin, Laos and Cambodia) in the late nineteenth century. The most profitable revenue came from growing opium and selling it to the Chinese to the north. The region was occupied by the Japanese in 1940. Upon the Japanese surrender in 1945, the French attempted to reassert their authority but, despite massive American aid, were defeated in 1954 by the Viet Minh led by communist Ho Chi Minh. This crude issue was produced by the communists in the chaotic period immediately after the Japanese surrender when Ho thought he would be permitted to set up his rule unmolested.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: bronze.
Catalog reference: Lec-6; KM 4.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The June 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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