Item number: A3010

Year: AD 984-988

Material: Bronze

Size: 24.0 x 23.7 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 2.5 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Thiên Phúc Trấn Bảo” coin, first recorded in Vietnamese historical sources, and recognised as the second coin in Vietnamese history to bear a native reign title. It was cast in the 5th year of the Thiên Phúc (AD 984) by Lê Hoàn, the founding emperor of the Anterior Lê dynasty. The coin is made of bronze.

The coin adopts the traditional Chinese-style square-holed cash coin design, characteristic of early Vietnamese numismatics. The obverse displays patches of green patina, with the inscription “Thiên Phúc Trấn Bảo” (天福鎮寶) engraved in somewhat crude Chinese characters, arranged in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left.

The phrase “Trấn Bảo” is unique, as the term “Trấn” does not appear on Chinese coinage. In the context of the Early Lê dynasty, “Trấn” referred to administrative divisions and also connoted grandeur or authority.

The reverse follows the stylistic tradition of the preceding Đinh dynasty, with the state name “Lê” (黎) inscribed at the upper edge, signifying the sovereign authority of the Early Lê regime.

“Thiên Phúc Trấn Bảo” has often been mistaken in the past for a coin issued by Shi Jingtang, emperor of the Later Jin during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in northern China. Although Shi Jingtang did indeed adopt “Tianfu” as a reign title, the coins minted under his rule bore the inscription “Tianfu Yuanbao” (天福元寶) and featured a more rigid and formal script style.

As early as the Southern Song dynasty, the numismatist Hong Zun (洪遵) observed that Thiên Phúc Trấn Bảo coins were frequently found in southern China, and he hypothesised that they had been brought in by merchants from Jiaozhou (modern-day northern Vietnam). This supports the prevailing scholarly view that Thiên Phúc Trấn Bảo was a Vietnamese issue, specifically minted by Lê Hoàn of the Early Lê dynasty, rather than a Chinese product.

Lê Hoàn was born into a humble background and rose through the military ranks to become the supreme commander of the Đinh dynasty’s armed forces. His ascent coincided with a period of internal turmoil within the Đinh court and an opportunistic invasion by the Song Empire from the north.

In AD 980, as Lê Hoàn prepared to lead the army against the Song forces under imperial order, his subordinates urged him to seize the throne. At this critical juncture, Empress Dowager Dương Vân Nga, who was rumoured to have had an intimate relationship with Lê Hoàn, offered him the imperial robe, effectively endorsing his claim. She later formally married Lê Hoàn and was conferred the title of empress, becoming the first woman in Vietnamese history to marry two emperors—first Đinh Tiên Hoàng, then Lê Hoàn.

In AD 981, Emperor Taizong of Song launched a campaign against Lê Hoàn, using his usurpation as a pretext. However, the Song forces were defeated at the Battle of Bạch Đằng River, forcing the Song Empire to recognise Lê Hoàn’s rule. In turn, Lê Hoàn accepted tributary status, becoming a formal vassal of the Song Empire, thereby securing the legitimacy of his reign.

物件編號: A3010

年代: 公元 984-988 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 24.0 x 23.7 x 0.8 mm

重量: 2.5 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚最早見於越南史籍，越南歷史上第二種使用自身的年號，即天福5年(公元984年)，前黎朝開創者黎桓開始鑄造的「天福鎮寶」，材質為青銅。

錢幣形制為深受中國影響的方孔錢。錢幣正面帶有青綠色的鏽斑，正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以稍顯粗糙的漢字鐫刻「天福鎮寶」。「鎮寶」兩字在中國的錢幣上並未出現，「鎮」是前黎朝時期的行政區域單位，也帶有「博大」的意涵。錢幣背面則沿襲前代丁朝的風格，於上緣鐫刻國號「黎」。

天福鎮寶過去經常被誤認為中國五代十國之際，華北的後晉石敬瑭所鑄造的錢幣。即便石敬瑭的確使用過「天福」作為年號，但是其鑄造的錢幣為「天福元寶」且字體較為呆板。早在南宋年間的錢幣學家洪遵，就以天福鎮寶多在華南出現，推測是商人從交州(越南北部)帶入的錢幣。

黎桓出身清寒，成年後投入行伍逐步成為丁朝軍隊的最高統帥。黎桓發跡之際，時值丁朝陷入內亂和北方的宋帝國趁勢入侵。公元980年，黎桓接旨準備出戰之際，其部將鼓動其篡位稱帝。跟黎桓有私通之嫌的丁朝皇太后楊雲娥則交出龍袍，楊雲娥後續跟黎桓正式成婚被封為皇后，成為越南歷史上首位嫁給兩位皇帝的皇后。公元981年，宋太宗以討伐黎桓篡位為藉口發兵攻打越南，然而宋軍於白藤江之戰遭到黎桓擊退，宋帝國被迫承認黎桓的統治，黎桓則接受冊封成為宋帝國的藩屬。