Item number: A3017

Year: AD 1916-1925

Material: Brass

Size: 22.4 x 22.4 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.45 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Khải Định Thông Bảo” coin cast in brass during the reign of Emperor Duy Tân, the 12th ruler of the Nguyễn dynasty, who reigned from AD 1916 to 1925. By this time, the Nguyễn emperors in Huế had largely lost real political power and functioned primarily as figureheads under French colonial rule. Nonetheless, to preserve the symbolic dignity of the monarchy, the traditional square-holed cash coins continued to be minted under the imperial era name.

The coin follows the traditional Chinese-influenced square-holed cash coin design. On the obverse, the four Chinese characters “Khải Định Thông Bảo” (啓定通寶) are engraved in regular script, arranged in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side is blank, with no inscriptions or designs.

The Khải Định Thông Bảo was produced using mechanical minting techniques, resulting in a very large output. This allowed it to be exchanged interchangeably with the low-denomination coins issued by the French colonial administration.

In AD 1916, following the failed conspiracy of Emperor Duy Tân to resist French colonial rule, the French authorities appointed his cousin, Emperor Khải Định, as the new sovereign. During his reign, Khải Định issued numerous decrees that favoured the French, and to finance the construction of his own mausoleum, he imposed heavy taxes and ordered the arrest of protesters. Due to these actions, Vietnamese historians have often regarded him as a corrupt and traitorous collaborator.

物件編號: A3017

年代: 公元 1916-1925 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.4 x 22.4 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.45 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是越南阮朝的第十二任統治者啓定帝，於公元1916至1925年間，以其使用的年號發行鑄造的「啓定通寶」，材質為黃銅。彼時位於順化的阮朝皇帝已經喪失實權，僅僅是作為法國殖民政府的傀儡，不過為了維持皇帝的門面仍有鑄造傳統的方孔錢。

錢幣形制為深受中國影響的方孔錢。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以漢字楷書書法鐫刻「啓定通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

啓定通寶以機械鑄造，其產量十分龐大，得以跟法國殖民政府發行的小面額錢幣互相交換。

公元1916年，維新帝密謀反抗法國殖民統治失敗後，法國找上堂哥啓定帝擔任新統治者。啓定帝在位期間，頒布許多對於法國人有利的命令，更為了修建自己的陵寢橫徵暴斂和逮捕抗議者。這些舉止使得越南史學家將他視為昏庸的賣國賊。