Item number: A310

Year: AD 1850-1860

Material: Silver

Size: 15.5 x 15.5 x 1.0 / 13.1 x 12.7 x 1.3 mm

Weight: 1.9 / 1.5 g

Provenance: Noonans 2022

This is a set with forty ½ Fuang silver coins machine-minted under King Ang Duong, the last independent monarch of Cambodia, prior to the country becoming a French protectorate in AD 1867. This silver coin is an example of a uniface coin, a numismatic term referring to a coin that is completely blank on one side.

This silver coin features the depiction of “Hamsa,” a divine bird from Hindu mythology known as the mount of the gods. Cambodia has been deeply influenced by Hindu culture since the medieval period, with the famous Angkor Wat being a prominent example of this heritage. The coin represents the divine bird “Hamsa” with an image of a rooster, accompanied by a windmill-patterned design on its left side.

King Ang Duong was the last monarch of Cambodia’s Oudong period, a dark era in the country’s history during which it became a vassal state caught between the two Southeast Asian powers of Siam and Vietnam. In AD 1840, faced with increasing Vietnamese incursions, Prince Ang Duong led a seven-year resistance effort. With Siamese support, he eventually defeated the Vietnamese in AD 1848 and was crowned King of Cambodia.

During his reign, King Ang Duong worked to develop the country’s culture and economy. In AD 1850, he introduced mechanical minting technology and established a mint in the capital to produce coins in gold, silver, and copper. To safeguard against future Vietnamese threats, he sought to establish connections with European powers such as Britain and France. Ang Duong’s correspondence with Napoleon III of France provided a pretext for France to later establish Cambodia as a protectorate.

物件編號: A310

年代: 公元 1850-1860 年

材料: 銀

尺寸: 15.5 x 15.5 x 1.0 / 13.1 x 12.7 x 1.3 mm

重量: 1.9 / 1.5 g

來源: 諾南斯 2022

這是一組柬埔寨在公元1867年成為法國保護國之前，最後一任獨立自主的國王安東以機器鑄造的 ½ 福昂銀幣總計有40枚。這枚銀幣為光面的錢幣，「光面」是錢幣學的專有名詞，指涉其中一面完全沒有任何裝飾的錢幣。

這枚銀幣打印印度教神話中作為神明座騎的神鳥「漢薩」，柬埔寨自中世紀起就受到印度教文化的深遠影響，著名的世界遺產吳哥窟就是知名代表。這枚錢幣以公雞展示神鳥「漢薩」的意象，其左側帶有風車圖案的花紋。

安東國王是柬埔寨烏棟時期的最後一任國王，烏棟時期是柬埔寨歷史上的黑暗時代，這段期間國家淪為夾在暹羅和越南兩大東南亞霸主的藩屬國地位。公元1840年，面對越南進一步對於柬埔寨的入侵，貴為王子的安東帶領國民展開長達七年的反抗。最終於公元1848年，獲得暹羅支援的安東打敗越南，並且加冕為柬埔寨國王。安東在位期間大力發展國內的文化和經濟。公元1850年，更首度引進機械鑄幣技術，在首都設立工坊鑄造金銀銅等材質的硬幣。安東為預防越南未來可能的侵略，在位期間大舉跟英國和法國等歐洲勢力建立聯繫。正是因為安東向法國的拿破崙三世寫信請求協助，方才提供日後法國將柬埔寨納為保護國的主要藉口。