Item number: A1688

Year: AD 1812-1820

Material: Silver

Size: 43.7 x 13.8 x 6.1 mm

Weight: 37.85 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a one-tael refined silver bar (or ingot) minted during the reign of Emperor Gia Long (Nguyễn Phúc Ánh阮福映), the founding ruler of the Nguyễn dynasty, between the eleventh and nineteenth years of the Gia Long era (AD 1812–1820). Based on its measured volume and weight, the silver purity is estimated to exceed 980‰.

The ingot is rectangular in shape, with the inscription “嘉隆年造” (“Gia Long niên tạo” / “Cast in the Gia Long Era”) on the obverse and “精銀壹兩” (“Tinh ngân nhất lạng” / “One Tael of Refined Silver”) on the reverse. Both sets of four characters are enclosed within plain rectangular borders. One side bears the inscription “中平號” (“Trung Bình hiệu” / “Trung Bình’s Mark”), while the opposite side is marked “值錢貳貫八陌” (“Trị tiền nhị quán bát mạch” / “Value: Two Strings and Eight Hundred Cash”). The top surface features a circular pattern, while the bottom exhibits a square pattern, conforming to historical records of its design. However, this particular ingot appears to be an earlier issue, as its inscriptions are of inferior quality, leading scholars to suggest that they may have been inscribed by an artisan or a minor official responsible for overseeing the minting process.

The coexistence of silver and copper currency had long been a monetary tradition across East Asian polities. Before the Nguyễn dynasty, various forms of silver currency circulated in the Vietnamese region, either imported from China and overseas or privately minted. Silver was used both as weighable currency (liang-based ingots, or “lạng”) and in the form of foreign silver coins. Before formally establishing the Nguyễn dynasty, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh rewarded his troops with both types of silver. After the founding of Nam Việt (Southern Vietnam), in the second year of Gia Long’s reign (AD 1803), inconsistencies in the fineness of circulating silver led Nguyễn Văn Khiêm (阮文謙), Minister of Revenue of Bắc Thành (北城), to propose the official minting of standardised sycee (patterned silver ingots) to restore public trust. Emperor Gia Long later appointed Trần Bình Ngũ (陳平五), a Bắc Thần Đồ Gia (北臣圖家), as Marquis Trung Bình (Trung Bình Hầu / 中平侯), responsible for inspecting both public and private silver ingots and overseeing the minting of a new standardised series with exceptionally high purity, initially in the form of ten-tael refined silver ingots. By the eleventh year of Gia Long (AD 1812), the minting of one-tael refined silver ingots commenced. The inscription “中平號” (“Trung Bình hiệu” / “Trung Bình’s Mark”) on this ingot aligns with the state-supervised production system overseen by Marquis Trung Bình. Additionally, faint traces of other markings can be discerned between the characters “中平號”, though they are no longer clearly identifiable.

Since the Nguyễn court did not prohibit private silver minting, counterfeiters frequently produced ingots with lower silver content while falsely inscribing them as “refined silver”. To counteract this, the Nguyễn dynasty later appointed official silversmiths to inspect and authenticate silver ingots submitted for tax payments. Verified ingots were stamped with official assay marks, commonly featuring characters such as “正” (“Chính”), “卐” (“Vạn”), “元” (“Nguyên”), and “辰” (“Thìn”). However, due to severe wear, such markings are no longer discernible on this specimen.

The denomination, quality, and weight of refined silver ingots were strictly regulated, and they could not be cut into smaller pieces for transactional use, a characteristic aligning with pre-modern precious metal coinage. However, despite the government’s attempts to monopolise silver circulation, state-minted ingots never fully displaced other forms of silver in private transactions. Throughout the Nguyễn dynasty, locally minted silver ingots, Western silver coins, Chinese taels, and privately cast sycee all circulated concurrently. It was not until the French colonial period that these were gradually supplanted by round coinage and eventually paper money.

Strategically located between China and the overseas trade networks, and flourishing during a period of maritime commercial expansion, the Nguyễn dynasty amassed considerable wealth. However, few silver ingots from this era survive today. This scarcity is largely attributed to the French military seizure of the imperial treasury in Huế(順化), following which the captured gold and silver reserves were transported back to France and melted down for reuse. As a result, the surviving specimens of Nguyễn-era silver currency are largely scattered private holdings or numismatic specimens preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.

物件編號: A1688

年代: 公元 1812-1820 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 43.7 x 13.8 x 6.1 mm

重量: 37.85 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚阮朝開國君主，阮世祖阮福映，於執政的嘉隆十一年至嘉隆十九年(公元1812-1820年)期間，所鑄造的精銀壹兩銀錠。按所測體積及重量計算，白銀純度可達980‰以上。

銀錠呈長方體，正面為「嘉隆年造」，背面為「精銀壹兩」，正反面的四字皆以素方框圍繞。一側為「中平號」，一側為「值錢貳貫八陌」，頂端有圓形紋，底部有方形紋，符合史載形制。唯此枚銀錠可能為較早期鑄造，文字較差，學者認為可能為工匠或負責管理之小吏所書。

銀錢並行是東亞諸政權長期以來的貨幣傳統，越南地區於阮朝以前已有各式白銀流通，或來自中國、海外，或民間私鑄。有銀兩這種稱量貨幣，也有外國銀元。於阮朝建元前，阮福映犒賞諸軍所使用的白銀，便是兩者皆有。南越建國後，嘉隆二年(公元1803年)，見民間流通白銀成色不一，北城戶部大臣阮文謙建言官鑄紋銀，以取信於民。後嘉隆帝任北臣圖家(財政官名)陳平五為中平侯，負責檢查公私銀錠，以及鑄造新式銀錠，純度極高，初為「精銀十兩」。嘉隆十一年(公元1812年)，開鑄「精銀壹兩」。此枚銀錠一側「中平號」，便是符合中平侯所監察，官鑄形制的銀錠之意。此外，於「中平號」三字的間隙之間，依稀可見其他印跡。由於阮朝不禁私鑄，導致偽造者常鑄成色不足的「精銀」，阮朝後另設銀匠，檢驗徵納銀錠，合格者打上檢驗者戳記，傳世銀錠常見戳記有「正」、「卐」、「元」、「辰」等，唯此枚銀錠磨耗嚴重，難以辨識。精銀銀錠面額與品質、重量皆相符，不得切削以作使用，已有前現代貴金屬硬幣的特徵。只是官方銀錠，最終未能壟斷國內的用銀，民間仍然阮朝銀錠、西洋銀元、中國銀兩、私鑄土銀並用。直到法國殖民時期被圓形錢幣乃至紙鈔所取代。阮朝位居中國與海外聯絡要衝，又適逢海上商貿的興盛，累積了大量財富。當代傳世銀錠不多，是因法軍攻破順化之時，將中樞庫藏金銀運回本土熔化，以供使用，僅留下民間流通之零散貨幣，以及收藏於巴黎圖書館之標本。