Item number: A1644

Year: AD 1400

Material: Brass

Size: 18.9 x 18.9 mm

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a Thánh Nguyên Tongbao coin, minted in the year AD 1400 by Hồ Quý Ly, who seized power from the Trần dynasty of Vietnam as an imperial in-law. Following the establishment of the Hồ dynasty, he issued this coin under his reign title.

The coin follows the square-holed cash coin design, heavily influenced by Chinese numismatic traditions. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters Thánh Nguyên Tongbao (聖元通寶) are inscribed in a clockwise sequence: top, bottom, right, and left. Notably, the character Nguyên (元) is rendered in seal script, while the remaining three characters are in regular script. The reverse side is blank, without any inscriptions or decorative elements.

Hồ Quý Ly was an imperial in-law of the Trần dynasty of Vietnam. In AD 1400, he deposed the young Trần emperor and declared himself ruler. However, facing opposition from Trần loyalists, he was forced to abdicate in favour of his son, Hồ Hán Thương, while retaining power as Thái Thượng Hoàng (Retired Emperor).

In AD 1406, the Ming emperor Yongle used Hồ Quý Ly’s usurpation of the Trần throne as a pretext to launch a military campaign against Vietnam. Hồ Quý Ly and his son were captured and sent to Nanjing, with conflicting accounts suggesting that they were either executed or pardoned. After the Ming dynasty annexed Vietnam, their rule faced strong resistance from the local population. In AD 1427, the noble Lê Lợi successfully expelled the Ming occupation forces and established the Later Lê dynasty.

物件編號: A1644

年代: 公元 1400 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 18.9 x 18.9 mm

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚公元1400年，以外戚身分奪得越南陳朝政權的胡季犛，建立胡朝之後以年號鑄造發行的「聖元通寶」。

錢幣形制為深受中國影響的方孔錢，錢幣正面按上、下、右、左順序，依序以漢字鐫刻「聖元通寶」四字。最下方的「元」為篆書書法，其餘三個字皆為楷書字體。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

胡季犛為越南陳朝的外戚，公元1400年罷黜陳少帝自立為王。然而登基之後受到陳朝遺老的反對，被迫將皇位禪讓予兒子胡漢蒼，但仍以太上皇身分在背後掌握大權。公元1406年，明成祖以胡季犛篡奪陳朝的王位為藉口向越南出兵。胡季犛和胡漢蒼父子遭到俘虜送至南京，其下場分別有遭到處決和特赦兩種說法。明朝消滅胡朝之後，將越南收入版圖但受到民眾的反抗。公元1427年，豪族黎利成功驅逐明朝的佔領軍並且建立後黎朝。