A Bronze Talisman, Emperor Minh Mang Mark. Vietnam, Early 19th Century.

This amulet is made of lost-wax cast bronze. It has the shape of a Vietnamese coin from the early 19th century circulating during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang (1791-1841) who reigned from 1820 until his death. If the amulets resembled currencies, they were not used for commercial transactions, they had a purpose of magical protection. The amulet presented here has 4 characters on one side indicating "currency of the reign of Ming Mang" and the 8 characters on the reverse are signs of celestial peace, good omen, success, prosperity and protection. Good condition, beautiful patina. Not cleaned. The market is flooded with modern fake Chinese or Vietnamese amulets, it is rare to find old ones.
65x2.5mm.
It is part of a collection of 13 talismans, some of which are very large.