Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 2/2/2010

Question
An album from my mother with coins states that they are Viet Nam.
In several coin pockets she had labeles such as "King Canh-Thinh, 1792-1802.  These coins do not have any dates, numbers, or english writing.  I assume that is not the coin date, but the king's reign.  They are several sizes & most have holes in the middle.  They are generally fair to poor shape.  There are others (somr very good) with labels such as "Indochina-French (1937).  This coin has a king? sitting in a chair with 1937 under it and says "REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE.  The reverse says "10 CENT." in the center, "0.680 POUNDS 2 GR. 7" at the bottom, and "INDO-CHINE FRANCISE" AROUND THE WDGE.  There are approximatrly 24 differnt coins.  How can I identify them and estimate their value?

Answer
Hi Dick,
I can certainly help you identify the value of the coins in your album. The first one you mentioned is known as a "phan" from dating 1792 to 1801. These were primarily made of cast yellow brass, though other materials are known to exist. There are 5 or 6 varieties of these, with fairly similar values of $5 to $25 depending on condition.
The second coin is a silver 10 centimes from the French administration of Indo-China (the area of modern day Vietnam, Cambodia and Annam). This is a common date and ranges from $1 to $10 depending on condition. The figure is actually a female, "Liberte", which is the same as our French made statue of Liberty.
If you would like to post a series of follow-up questions with pictures of the coins, I can give you more specific information on the condition and value.
Thanks for the question! =)