Item number: A152

Year: AD 1906

Material: Zinc

Size: 15.0 x 15.0 mm

Manufactured by: Paris Mint

Provenance: Spink 2023

This 1/600 Indochina Piastre, issued in AD 1906 by the Banque de l’Indochine in an area referred to as the “Protectorate of Tonkin” in northern Vietnam, is a zinc subsidiary coin. The coin’s design follows the traditional square-holed coinage of Vietnam, with the obverse designed by the engraver from the Paris Mint, Henry-Auguste Patey, surrounded by the inscription in French, “Protectorate of Tonkin 1906” (PROTECTORAT DU TONKIN 1906).

The reverse side bears the denomination “1/600 of a Tong Pao” in Chữ Hán script, representing the Vietnamese Han denomination. Unlike other Piastre denominations marked in French, this coin, denominated in Chữ Hán script, reflects its primary usage in small-scale trade within colonial communities rather than direct engagement with governing authorities for significant economic transactions such as taxation and lending.

In AD 1862, the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam ceded Cochinchina (southern Vietnam) to France, laying the foundation for French colonialism in Vietnam. In AD 1875, the newly established Banque de l’Indochine was granted authorization by the French government to issue a new currency, the Piastre, in the colonial territories. In AD 1887, France consolidated its control over Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina, and Cambodia (later joined by Laos) to formally establish the “Union of French Indochina.”

At that time, alongside the Piastre, various foreign currencies such as Mexican pesos, US dollars, and Indian rupees circulated in the colonial territory, alongside old copper coins issued by the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam. These competing currencies challenged France’s financial order in the colony.

Under the leadership of the financially astute Paul Doumer during his tenure as Governor-General of French Indochina, significant reforms were undertaken to strengthen economic control over the colonies. By the time of his departure in AD 1903, measures were implemented to enforce the use of the Indochinese Piastre in trade, under the gold standard system, thereby prohibiting the circulation of foreign currencies or the currency of the former Nguyen Dynasty within the colony.

物件編號: A152

年代: 公元 1906 年

材質: 鋅

尺寸: 15.0 x 15.0 mm

製造地: 巴黎造幣廠

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這枚面額1/600印度支那皮亞斯特，是公元1906年東方匯理銀行在稱作「東京保護國」的北越地區發行的鋅製輔幣。硬幣外觀沿襲越南傳統的方孔錢造型，正面是巴黎造幣廠的雕刻師：亨利-奧古斯特·帕蒂操刀設計，環繞的法文「東京保護國 1906」(PROTECTORAT DU TONKIN 1906)字樣。背面則是以儒字，即越南漢文標示的面額「六百分之一通寶」。不同於其他面額的皮亞斯特以法文標示，這枚僅以儒字標示的小面額輔幣，反映其主要用途是殖民地民間的小額貿易，而非直接面對統治機關，諸如稅收和借貸等大額度的經濟行為。

公元1862年，越南阮朝割讓交趾支那(南圻)開啟法國在越南的殖民基礎。公元1875年，甫成立的東方匯理銀行獲得法國政府授權，在殖民地發行新貨幣「皮阿斯特」的特權。公元1887年，法國統合轄下：東京、安南、交趾支那和柬埔寨(後續加入寮國)，正式成立「印度支那聯邦」。當時在殖民地跟皮阿斯特競爭的貨幣，除了越南阮朝發行的舊銅幣，尚有墨西哥比索、美元和印度盧比等外國貨幣流通，影響法國在殖民地的金融秩序。擅長理財的保羅·杜美在印度支那總督任內，大幅再造行政系統以強化對殖民地的經濟控制。公元1903年在卸任之際，殖民地通過在金本位制度下以印度支那皮阿斯特進行貿易，強制禁止以他國或在地阮朝的貨幣流通。