Item number: A3090

Year: AD 1847-1883

Material: Zinc

Size: 22.9 x 22.8 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 1.95 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Tu Duc Thong Bao” coin cast during the reign of Emperor Tu Duc (Nguyễn Phúc Thì), who ruled Vietnam from AD 1847 to 1883 under the Nguyen dynasty. The coin is made of white lead, which in this context refers to zinc; in some Japanese numismatic catalogues, it is referred to as “sand solder.” The official weight standard for this type of coin was six phan (分), equivalent to approximately 2.184 grams today. This particular specimen weighs 1.95 grams, corresponding to roughly five phan and three and a half ly (厘) in the contemporary Vietnamese system. Even allowing for reasonable margins of error, the weight falls noticeably short, suggesting that it may be a privately cast coin produced by a local mint. During the reign of Tu Duc, repeated wars and fiscal crises led to frequent changes in the coinage system and monetary value.

The coin follows the traditional East Asian form of a round coin with a square central hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Tu Duc Thong Bao” in regular script, arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. All four characters extend through the square hole and connect to the inner rim. The reverse is plain and uninscribed.

Owing to a persistent shortage of copper in Vietnam, the circulation of white lead coinage gradually became customary. As early as the Song dynasty in China, there are records of white lead coins—referred to as “sand solder” money—produced under the Lê dynasty entering southern China and causing monetary disruption. During the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát of the Nguyễn lords in Quảng Nam (AD 1738–1765), similar usage of white lead coinage was also documented. In the twelfth year of the Gia Long reign (AD 1813), the Nguyễn dynasty began large-scale minting of white lead coins, a practice that was continued by successive rulers. Beyond the stated goal of “supporting the nation and benefiting the people,” Emperor Minh Mạng, who inherited the centralised rule of Gia Long, further asserted that “lead coinage serves the public good; the wealthy dare not hoard it, and foreign merchants dare not take it away. Its circulation benefits not only the people but also the state; it is a natural advantage.” By the reign of Minh Mạng, white lead coinage had become the primary form of circulating currency in Vietnam, while copper coinage served largely as a unit of account. During the reign of Emperor Tự Đức, a notable shift occurred: although private minting of white lead coins had been strictly prohibited under Minh Mạng, it was now permitted for private individuals to bring their own lead to official foundries for casting, which led to an increase in coin production. In the early years of the Tự Đức reign, two six-phân white lead coins could be exchanged for one six-phân copper coin, and three such coins could be exchanged for one nine-phân copper coin.

In the ninth year of his reign (AD 1856), following the bombardment of Tourane (present-day Đà Nẵng) by French naval forces, the imperial government began requisitioning remaining wealth and preparing for military resistance. By the eleventh year (AD 1858), amid worsening financial conditions, the exchange rate was adjusted: three six-phân white lead coins could now be exchanged for one six-phân copper coin, and four such coins for one nine-phân copper coin. In the twentieth year (AD 1867), following France’s occupation of the six provinces of Cochinchina, the exchange rate was once again revised: four six-phân white lead coins equalled one six-phân copper coin, and six such coins equalled one nine-phân copper coin. Alongside these developments, various forms of paper currency denominated in copper coins were issued, effectively turning copper into a high-denomination fiduciary medium with minimal intrinsic value. And due to the low value of white lead coins, they circulated widely and wore down quickly. Their brittle and hard texture made them prone to breakage. Moreover, contemporaries regarded them as lacking in collectible worth, resulting in relatively few surviving specimens today.

Emperor Tự Đức (Vua Tự Đức), personal name Nguyễn Phúc Thì, reigned from AD 1847 to 1883 as the fourth emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. His reign was marked by both internal and external crises. Domestically, he faced widespread peasant uprisings, factional struggles within the royal court, and persistent fiscal difficulties. Externally, he confronted the growing pressure of French colonial expansion, which gradually eroded Vietnam’s sovereignty. A staunch adherent of Confucian orthodoxy, Tự Đức sought to stabilise the dynasty through measures such as the promulgation of the revised edition of the Đại Nam Thực Lục and reforms to the imperial examination system. However, his domestic and foreign policies ultimately failed to counter the incursions of Western imperialism. Beginning with the French assault on Đà Nẵng in AD 1858, Vietnam suffered successive military defeats. In AD 1862, the first Treaty of Saigon was signed, ceding the provinces of Gia Định, Định Tường, and Biên Hòa to France and granting it the right to trade and propagate Christianity. By AD 1874, the second Treaty of Saigon formally recognised French sovereignty over Cochinchina. France then further deepened its interference in northern and central Vietnam, effectively reducing the country to a French protectorate. Chronically ill and without biological heirs, Tự Đức designated three adopted sons as successors during his lifetime. After his death, intense court intrigues erupted, leading to the rapid disintegration of imperial governance.

物件編號: A3090

年代: 公元 1847-1883 年

材質: 白鉛 (鋅)

尺寸: 22.9 x 22.8 x 0.8 mm

重量: 1.95 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1847至1883年間，阮朝嗣德帝阮福時，在位期間所鑄行的「嗣德通寶」，材質為白鉛，即鋅，日本有些錢譜稱為「砂鑞」。法重為六分，約合今2.184公克。此錢1.95公克，約合越南當時五分三厘半，就算計入誤差值也略為低落，或為地方錢場的私鑄品。由於嗣德年間戰亂導致的財政危機，幣值多次改變。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「嗣德通寶」楷書，由上而下、由右至左對讀。四字均接穿連輪。錢幕光素無文。

由於越南銅料缺乏，白鉛錢的行用逐漸成為傳統，早在中國宋代便有黎朝砂鑞錢流入中國南部造成流弊的紀錄。廣南阮主世宗時期(公元1738-1765年)亦載有行用記錄。阮朝嘉隆十二年(公元1813年)，開始大量鑄造白鉛錢，此後歷代沿襲。除「贍國裕民」外，承嘉隆大統的明命帝更認為「鉛錢之用，富戶既不敢私藏，而臨國來商者又不敢帶回。此錢流通非但利於民，亦利於國，乃自然之利也。」至明命帝，越南主要行用錢已經以白鉛錢為主，銅錢則為計價單位。嗣德年間一開明命年間嚴禁，開始准予民間攜鉛材於官錢爐私鑄，鑄量更增。至嗣德初年，重六分白鉛錢二枚可兌重六分銅錢一枚，重六分白鉛錢三枚可兌重九分銅錢一枚。嗣德九年(公元1856年)，法艦炮擊土倫港(今峴港市)，政府開始搜刮餘財，整軍備戰。嗣德十一年(公元1858年)，由於財政困難，改重六分白鉛錢三枚可兌重六分銅錢一枚，重六分白鉛錢四枚可兌重九分銅錢一枚。嗣德二十年(公元1867年)，法國強佔南圻六省。次年，改重六分白鉛錢四枚可兌重六分銅錢一枚，重六分白鉛錢六枚可兌重九分銅錢一枚。加以各類以銅錢為幣值之寶鈔的發行，實際上銅已經成為大額虛值貨幣。而由於白鉛錢價賤，流通、磨損頻繁，質地硬脆易毀，加以時人認為沒有收藏價值，故存世至今反為少數。

嗣德帝(Vua Tự Đức)，名阮福時(Nguyễn Phúc Thì)，公元1847-1883年在位，為阮朝第四任皇帝。即位後面對內憂外患，一方面需應對國內農民起義、宮廷派系爭鬥與財政困窘，另一方面則遭遇法國殖民壓力節節逼近，導致越南逐步喪失自主權。嗣德帝以儒學自重，信奉綱常，試圖透過頒布嗣德正編《大南寔錄》與整肅科舉制度等政策來穩固王朝正統，然而其內政與外交措施未能有效應對西方入侵。自公元1858年法蘭西第二帝國進攻峴港起，越南軍事上節節敗退，最終於公元1862年簽訂第一次西貢條約，割讓嘉定、定祥、邊和三省，並允許法國通商傳教；至公元1874年第二次西貢條約簽訂，越南正式承認法國對南圻的統治權。法國亦藉此加深對北圻與中圻的干涉，導致越南事實上淪為保護國。嗣德帝一生多病，未有子嗣，在世時預立三位養子繼位，死後宮廷政爭激烈，朝政崩解。