Vietnam 1946 5 hao
This specimen was lot 72855 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, October 2020), where it sold for $192. The catalog description[1] noted, "VIETNAM. Aluminum 5 Hao, 1946. NGC MS-66. Variety with raised value in star. A vibrant and stunning Gem, offering radiating brilliance and a bit of a prooflike nature." 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. A variety exists (KM 2.1) with the value in the star incuse.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: aluminum.
Catalog reference: KM-2.2; Gad-2; Lec-3.
- 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 October 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
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