Vietnam 1946 dong
This specimen was lot 75637 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $528. The catalog description[1] noted, "VIETNAM. Dong, 1946. Hanoi Mint. NGC MS-64. Tied with just a small handful of others, this Dong would provide stiff competition when compared to most other representatives of the type." 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: aluminum.
Catalog reference: KM-3; Lec-5.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to: