10 Centimes - Norodom I

Cambodia's 1860 coinage was issued under Norodom I just as the French were consolidating their grip on Cochinchina, one year before the protectorate treaty that would formally subordinate the Khmer kingdom to Paris. These pieces were struck in France, almost certainly at the Paris Mint, at a moment when Norodom's own political position was fragile — he had only recently been placed on the throne with French and Spanish military backing against a rival claimant. The X# prefix in the references indicates this issue has historically been treated as a pattern or semi-official strike rather than a mainstream circulation coin.