Cambodia used a franc and centimes system of decimalized coinage beginning in 1875, replacing the previous tical system. Coins made after 1875 were dated 1860 — note this fact when buying or collecting these coins.
The first centimes coins were brass tokens worth 1, 10, 20, and 25 centimes, now rare but sometimes seen for sale in the coin marketplace. Regular Cambodian franc coins were issued in 1 franc, 2 franc, and 4 franc versions; fractional coins were 5 centimes, 10 centimes, 25 centimes, and 50 centimes. There was also a 1 piastre coin. All but the smallest two coins were made of silver (or, more rarely, gold), and it is these that bore the 1860 date. Soon, the Cambodian franc would disappear as Cambodia was made part of the larger Indochina area administered by France.
Cambodian zircon gemstones in colorful jewelry
In the 1950s, Cambodia gained its independence from French Indochina and began minting its own coins. At first, these 1953 coins retained the old units, and there were 10, 20, and 50 centimes coins. In 1959 these coins were all re-minted, with the designs the same but centimes was replaced by sen. All of these 1950s centimes coins were made of aluminum.
Following these early coins, Cambodian coinage would be denominated in the country’s new unit, the riel. However, banknotes would win out over coins, and most attention given to Cambodian coins these days is from collectors, not from Khmer consumers.
