Item number: A2986

Year: AD 1541-1546

Material: Brass

Size: 20.6 x 20.7 x 0.4 mm

Weight: 1.45 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Quang Hòa Thông Bảo” coin cast in brass between AD 1541 and 1546 by Mạc Phúc Hải, the third ruler of the Mạc dynasty, who reigned under the title Mạc Hiến Tông. The inscription reflects his reign title “Quang Hòa”, adopted during his time on the throne.

The coin follows the traditional Chinese-style square-holed cash coin design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Quang Hòa Thông Bảo” (廣和通寶) are engraved in seal script, arranged in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse is plain, with no inscriptions or decorative elements.

At the time of Mạc Phúc Hải’s accession to the throne, real power remained in the hands of his grandfather, Mạc Đăng Dung, the founding emperor of the Mạc dynasty, who retained authority under the title of Retired Emperor.

Shortly after Mạc Phúc Hải’s enthronement, the Ming Empire to the north, citing the Mạc dynasty’s usurpation of the Later Lê dynasty, mobilised its forces along the Sino-Vietnamese border and threatened a full-scale invasion. To avert military conflict, Mạc Phúc Hải personally led his ministers to Zhennan Pass (Trấn Nam Quan) at the border, where he formally surrendered to the Ming court. As a result, the Ming Empire recognised his rule and allowed the Mạc dynasty to retain the Vietnamese throne.

In AD 1541, Mạc Đăng Dung died, and the Mạc dynasty entered a period of decline, its control gradually shrinking to the northern region of Cao Bằng. There, the Mạc regime survived under the protection of the Ming and later the Qing dynasties of China, until it was ultimately eliminated by the Restored Lê dynasty in AD 1677.

Due to the Mạc dynasty’s reliance on foreign (Chinese) recognition and its perceived illegitimacy, both the Restored Lê dynasty and the later Nguyễn dynasty refused to acknowledge its rule. Consequently, Vietnamese historians have generally viewed the Mạc dynasty in a negative light, portraying it as a usurpation backed by foreign appeasement.

物件編號: A2986

年代: 公元 1541-1546 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 20.6 x 20.7 x 0.4 mm

重量: 1.45 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是公元1541至1546年間，莫朝的第三任統治者莫憲宗莫福海以其年號鑄造的「廣和通寶」，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，以漢字篆書書法鐫刻「廣和通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何圖案或文字。

莫福海登基之際，王朝創始者其祖父莫登庸仍舊以太上皇身分掌握實權。莫福海登基之初，北方的明帝國以莫朝篡奪後黎朝皇位為理由，大舉擺兵於中越邊境揚言要征討莫朝。莫福海為避免明帝國討伐，親自率大臣前往邊境的鎮南關向明帝國投降，得到明帝國同意和保有皇位。

公元1541年，莫登庸病逝之後，莫朝陷入分裂其勢力縮小到北部的高平，以明帝國和清帝國為庇護，直到公元1677年遭到黎中興朝消滅為止。由於黎中興朝和阮朝皆不承認莫朝合法性，加上莫朝對北方的中國朝廷投降以換取保護，故越南史家對於莫朝普遍抱持負面評價。