Item number: A3089

Year: AD 1847-1868

Material: Brass

Size: 23.8 x 23.8 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 3.15 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Tu Duc Thong Bao” coin cast during the reign of Emperor Tu Duc (Nguyễn Phúc Thì) of the Nguyen dynasty, who ruled from AD 1847 to 1883. The coin is made of brass. The official standard weight for this type was nine phân, approximately equivalent to 3.276 grams in modern measurement. This specimen weighs 3.15 grams, corresponding to around eight phân, six ly, and six hào in the contemporary Vietnamese system, which falls within an acceptable margin of error. Owing to the financial crises caused by warfare during Tu Duc’s reign, the monetary system underwent repeated changes.

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. The characters are rendered in relatively fine strokes. In the lower left of the character “Bao,” there appears to be a distorted horizontal dot. The characters “Duc” and “Thong” extend into the square hole, and “Thong” further connects to the rim. Residual metal remains around the central hole, suggesting it was not filed down after casting. The reverse is plain and uninscribed.

By the Tu Duc era, white lead coinage had effectively become the principal circulating currency in Vietnam, while copper coins served primarily as units of account. In the early years of Tu Duc’s reign, a nine-phân copper coin could be exchanged for three six-phân white lead coins. In the ninth year of his reign (AD 1856), following the bombardment of Tourane (present-day Da Nang) by French naval forces, the imperial government began confiscating surplus wealth and preparing for military resistance. By the eleventh year (AD 1858), amidst severe fiscal strain, the exchange rate was adjusted to four six-phân white lead coins for one nine-phân copper coin. In the fourteenth year (AD 1861), Tu Duc adopted a system modelled after China’s Xianfeng era and issued “Tu Duc Bao Sao” paper currency, valued at roughly twice the coin’s official weight, while production of both large and small-sized copper coins gradually declined.

In the twentieth year of Tu Duc’s reign (AD 1867), France forcibly annexed the six provinces of Cochinchina. The following year, the exchange rate was again revised: one nine-phân copper coin could now be exchanged for six six-phân white lead coins. Newly minted nine-phân copper coins were accordingly inscribed with the characters “Lục Văn” (six văn) to reflect this shift. At this point, such copper coins, along with the Tu Duc Bao Sao notes, had become high-denomination fiduciary currency, with face values approximately double their actual metallic worth.

Emperor Tu Duc (Vua Tự Đức), personal name Nguyễn Phúc Thì, reigned from AD 1847 to 1883 as the fourth emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. His reign was marked by both internal and external crises. Domestically, he faced peasant uprisings, factional strife within the court, and persistent fiscal difficulties. Externally, French colonial encroachment steadily advanced, leading to the gradual erosion of Vietnam’s sovereignty. A staunch Confucianist, Tu Duc sought to reinforce dynastic legitimacy through 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 repel Western intrusion. Beginning with the French assault on Da Nang in AD 1858, Vietnam suffered successive military defeats. In AD 1862, the first Treaty of Saigon was signed, ceding the provinces of Gia Dinh, Dinh Tuong, and Bien Hoa to France and granting French rights to trade and propagate Christianity. By the signing of the second Treaty of Saigon in AD 1874, Vietnam formally recognised French sovereignty over Cochinchina. France subsequently intensified its intervention in northern and central Vietnam, effectively reducing the country to a protectorate. Chronically ill and without biological heirs, Tu Duc designated three adopted sons as successors during his lifetime. After his death, palace intrigues deepened, and the imperial administration rapidly collapsed.

物件編號: A3089

年代: 公元 1847-1868 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.8 x 23.8 x 0.9 mm

重量: 3.15 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」，黃銅質。法重為九分，約合今3.276公克。此錢3.15 g公克，約合越南當時八分六厘六毫，算是位於誤差值內。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。字體較細。「寶」字左下似有一歪曲橫點，「德、通」字接穿，「通」字連輪。錢穿餘銅未磨銼，錢幕光素無文。

阮朝至嗣德年間，白鉛錢已成為事實上主要的行用錢，銅錢則為計價單位。至嗣德初年，重九分銅錢一枚可兌重六分白鉛錢三枚。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，改重九分銅錢一枚可兌重六分白鉛錢四枚。嗣德十四年(公元1861年)，另倣清咸豐朝制度，鑄「嗣德寶鈔」，法值大約為法重的二倍，大小樣銅錢則大約逐漸減鑄。嗣德二十年(公元1867年)，法國強佔南圻六省。次年，改重九分銅錢一枚可兌重六分白鉛錢六枚，新鑄的重九分銅錢也隨之加鑄「六文」二字，此時重九分銅錢也隨嗣德寶鈔一同，法值大約為法重的二倍，成為大額的虛值貨幣了。

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。