Item number: A1647

Year: AD 1802-1820

Material: Silver

Size: 44.4 x 12.7 x 6.7 mm

Weight: 37.25 g

Provenance: Phidias 2022

In the realm of silver coinage, Vietnam once minted a distinctive regional currency known as “bar money”. Prior to the French invasion in the 19th century, this type of silver bar held significant importance as a local currency, even serving as a currency for the royal treasury. Through trading, it found its way into Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and other regions.

This silver bar was minted during the reign of Emperor Gia Long, the founding ruler of the Nguyen Dynasty. The obverse side bears the inscription “精銀壹兩” (“One Tael of Fine Silver”) to indicate its weight, while the reverse shows the production date as “嘉隆年造” (“Minted in the Gia Long Era”).

One side of the silver bar bears an inscription indicating its exchange rate with copper coins, reading “Value: 2,800 cash” (值錢貳貫捌佰). On the opposite side, only the first two characters, “Zhong Ping” (中平), remain clearly visible, while the lower two characters have become indistinct due to wear. At the top of the bar, there are two distinct stamped marks—a solid circle and a square hole—which were likely merchant seals applied during circulation to authenticate the bar.

Emperor Gia Long rose to power in the late 18th century, a period when Vietnam was fragmented, with competing factions and regions vying for control. Using the southern regions as his base, Gia Long actively engaged in diplomatic and military alliances with external powers such as Siam and France. In AD 1802, he successfully unified Vietnam and established the Nguyen Dynasty. The following year, the Jiaqing Emperor of China formally recognised his rule, granting legitimacy to his authority.

物件編號: A1647

年代: 公元 1802-1820 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 44.4 x 12.7 x 6.7 mm

重量: 37.25 g

來源: 菲迪亞斯 2022

越南在銀製貨幣方面，曾鑄造過一種極具區域特色的「條銀」，在公元19世紀法國入侵以前，這種條銀是當地的重要貨幣。甚至為皇室的內庫所御用，部分更透過貿易關係，傳入東南亞、中國和日本等地。

這枚銀條為阮朝的開國皇帝嘉隆年間鑄造。正面打印標示面額的「精銀壹兩」字樣，背面則是鑄造的時間「嘉隆年造」。銀條左右兩側的其中一面為銀條跟銅錢的兌換比「值錢貳貫捌佰」。另外一側僅有頭兩個字「中平」較為明顯，下方的兩個文字則已經模糊不可分辨。而在銀條頂端分別有一個實心圓和方孔的圖案，應該是流通過程中不同商家留下的戳記。

嘉隆帝崛起於公元18世紀末，越南呈現南北分裂和多個政權並立的混亂局勢。嘉隆帝以南方為根據地，並且積極跟暹羅和法國等外部勢力進行聯繫。最終於公元1802年，一統越南全境建立阮朝，並且於隔年獲得中國嘉慶皇帝的冊封承認其地位。