BOOK REVIEW: MONNAIE ET JETONS DE L’INDOCHINE FRANÇAISE

LECOMPTE, Jean. Monnaie et jetons de l’Indochine française. Monaco, Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2013. Hardbound, glossy paper. 15 × 21 mm. 168 pp. 800 pieces listed. 700 colour photos. French with the bulk of the text also in English. 49 euro. ISBN 978-2-906602-42-7.

Although Lecompte deems it a third edition, it is the first time Coins and Tokens of French Indochina is published in this format. Indeed, the topic was previously covered in Lecompte’s Monnaies et jetons des colonies françaises (Coins and Tokens of French Colonies). He has decided to break that massive book into several volumes, and this is the first one. This book is not, however, a simple extract from the previous one; the contents has been greatly enhanced.

The coins, medals, patterns, tokens, and trial pieces issued over a century (from the 1850s to the 1950s) for the following areas are presented: Annam, Cambodia, French trading posts in China (Kwang-Chu-Wan, Shanghai, Tianjin), Cochinchina, Indochina, Laos, Siam, Tonkin, and Vietnam.

In addition to the information normally found in catalogues (denomination, year, type name, composition, weight, size, edge type, type of strike [coin or medal], engraver, mintage figures, and value for four grades), Lecompte provides detailed historical background both on the areas for which the pieces were issued and on the pieces themselves (in both French and English). He often provides references to articles with even more detail, published in the publications of the Société de numismatique asiatique and the Société d’études numismatiques et archéologiques.

The colour images are of the best quality pieces Lecompte could find, many of them are unique and coming from private collections, and are of the highest quality.

In conclusion, this book is an amazing reference for the collector specialized in this area. Highly recommend despite its high price.

For more information, contact www.gadoury.com.

Wayne Homren, Editor

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