Item number: A2976

Year: AD 1428-1433

Material: Brass

Size: 24.5 x 24.5 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 2.85 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Thuận Thiên Nguyên Bảo” coin cast in brass by Lê Lợi, the founding emperor of the Later Lê dynasty, who led Vietnam to independence from Ming dynasty rule. The inscription reflects the era name “Thuận Thiên”, which Lê Lợi adopted during his reign as Emperor Lê Thái Tổ.

The coin is modelled after the traditional Chinese square-holed cash coin design. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “順天元寶” (Thuận Thiên Nguyên Bảo) are inscribed in regular script, arranged sequentially in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse is blank, with no inscriptions or decorative elements.

In AD 1400, the ruling Trần dynasty of Vietnam was overthrown by the powerful court official Hồ Quý Ly, who usurped the throne. Loyalists of the Trần dynasty appealed to their suzerain, the Ming Empire, for intervention. In AD 1406, the Yongle Emperor of Ming China launched a military campaign against Vietnam under the pretext of restoring the Trần dynasty. Hồ Quý Ly and his relatives were captured and taken to Nanjing, and the Ming court subsequently incorporated Vietnam into its imperial territory.

However, Ming rule in Vietnam faced widespread resistance and rebellion from the local population. Among the leading figures of the resistance was Lê Lợi, a member of the local elite from Thanh Hóa province. In AD 1418, he launched the Lam Sơn Uprising to expel Ming forces. After nearly a decade of warfare, the Ming emperor Xuande agreed in AD 1427 to withdraw Chinese troops and recognised Lê Lợi as the legitimate ruler of Vietnam. In return, Lê Lợi maintained Vietnam’s formal tributary relationship with the Ming Empire.

In later generations, Lê Lợi came to be revered by the Vietnamese people as a national hero. According to legend, during his uprising against Ming rule, he was granted a magical sword named “Thuận Thiên” (“Accord with Heaven”) by the Dragon King. After successfully founding the Later Lê dynasty, Lê Lợi was once said to have visited Tả Vọng Lake in Hanoi. There, he encountered a giant turtle, which seized the sacred sword and disappeared into the depths of the lake. Interpreting this as a divine act—the return of the sword to its celestial origin—Lê Lợi renamed the lake “Hoàn Kiếm” (“Lake of the Returned Sword”). This story became one of the most cherished and enduring legends in Vietnamese folklore.

物件編號: A2976

年代: 公元 1428-1433 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 24.5 x 24.5 x 0.8 mm

重量: 2.85 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是帶領越南擺脫明帝國統治的後黎朝創始人，黎太祖黎利以其使用的年號鑄造之「順天元寶」，材質為黃銅。

錢幣形制為仿效中國的方孔錢造型。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左順序，以漢字楷書書法鐫刻「順天元寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

公元1400年，原先統治越南的陳朝遭到權臣胡季犛篡位，支持陳朝的遺臣向宗主國明帝國求援。公元1406年，明成祖以此為藉口征討越南，胡季犛和親屬遭到俘虜被送往南京，明成祖則順勢將越南併入版圖。然而明帝國的統治遭到越南民眾的抵制和反抗，出身於青化豪族的黎利為其中一員，於公元1418年發動藍山起義起兵反抗。最終於公元1427年，明宣宗決定撤兵並且承認黎利為越南的統治者，黎利則維持越南和明帝國之間的藩屬關係。

後世越南人視黎利為民族英雄，此外相傳黎利在起義之際從龍王手中得到一柄名為「順天」的寶劍。黎利成功創建後黎朝後，有一天造訪河內的左望湖遇到一隻巨鱉，巨鱉將他的寶劍叼走之後便沉入水中，黎利認為這是神明將寶劍歸還回去，並且將湖名改為「還劍湖」成為越南膾炙人口的傳說故事。