Item number: A3008

Year: AD 1527-1529

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.2 x 23.1 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.45 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Minh Đức Thông Bảo” coin cast in bronze between AD 1527 and 1529 by Mạc Đăng Dung, who forced Lê Cung Hoàng, the last emperor of the Later Lê dynasty, to abdicate and subsequently founded the Mạc dynasty. The inscription reflects his reign title “Minh Đức” (明德), adopted during the early years of his rule.

The coin adopts the traditional Chinese-style square-holed cash coin design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “明德通寶” (Minh Đức Thông Bảo) are inscribed in regular script, arranged in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse is plain, with no inscriptions or decorative motifs.

Mạc Đăng Dung was born into poverty, but rose to prominence through his martial prowess and gradually attained official rank. He eventually seized control of the Later Lê royal court, compelling Lê Cung Hoàng to abdicate. At the time, Mạc Đăng Dung ruled from Thăng Long (modern-day Hanoi), holding sway over northern Vietnam. Meanwhile, loyalists of the Later Lê dynasty, refusing to recognise Mạc Đăng Dung’s authority, established a rival court in Thanh Hóa under Lê Trang Tông, marking the beginning of a period of north–south division in Vietnam.

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: A3008

年代: 公元 1527-1529 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.2 x 23.1 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.45 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1527至1529年，迫使後黎朝黎恭皇禪讓皇位，開創莫朝的莫登庸以其年號鑄造的「明德通寶」，材質為青銅。

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「明德通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

莫登庸自幼出身貧困，但是成年後以武藝逐漸得到功名，後續控制後黎朝皇室更迫使黎恭皇禪讓退位。莫登庸以當時稱為「昇龍」的河內為首都，控制越南北部的疆域。同一時間，後黎朝支持者以黎莊宗為領袖在清化建立自己的朝廷，標示越南進入南北分裂。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。