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2 Pe / 1/2 Fuang - Hamsa
| Issuer | Kingdom of Cambodia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1847-1860 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting a Hamsa (sacred goose of Hindu-Buddhist iconography) shown in profile facing right, with wings spread and clearly rendered plumage radiating outward from the body. The bird's head displays a pronounced beak and a crested crown, with the neck and breast feathers rendered in stylized relief. The figure occupies the majority of the irregular flan, with no surrounding legend, the field exhibiting the characteristic rough texture of a hand-hammered silver coin. The overall execution reflects the artisanal die-cutting tradition of mid-nineteenth century Cambodian royal coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Cambodia's indigenous coinage tradition by the mid-nineteenth century was already being squeezed between Siamese political dominance and French colonial ambitions that would culminate in the 1863 protectorate. These small silver pieces circulated in a kingdom that had been a Siamese vassal state since 1846, the year before this type's issue began — a diplomatic settlement that left Cambodia nominally sovereign but practically dependent on Bangkok for its throne.
The hamsa, a sacred goose of Hindu-Buddhist cosmology, carried deep Khmer royal legitimacy reaching back to Angkorian precedent.