Item number: A3078

Year: AD 1762-1776

Material: Brass

Size: 23.5 x 23.5 x 0.9 mm

Weight: 2.55 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a brass coin cast during the reign of Emperor Lê Hiển Tông of the Later Lê dynasty, bearing the reign title “Cảnh Hưng” and inscribed as “Cảnh Hưng Vĩnh Bảo”.

The coin follows the traditional round form with a square central hole, characteristic of the East Asian cultural sphere. The inscription “Cảnh Hưng Vĩnh Bảo” on the obverse is written in regular script, arranged vertically and read from top to bottom, right to left. The character “Vĩnh” is rendered in the variant form “𣱵”, in which the second and third strokes of the water radical are joined, imparting a semi-cursive quality. All four characters are connected to both the central square hole and the outer rim. The coin’s surface is plain and undecorated. Excess metal is present on the right side of the reverse near the central hole, likely the result of foreign matter falling into the sand mould during the casting process.

The regnal title “Cảnh Hưng” was used for an extensive period of 47 years, during which coins such as the “Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo” came to exhibit numerous complex varieties. From the mid-Cảnh Hưng era onwards, due to political instability and the decline of royal authority, coinage was increasingly decentralised, and minting was delegated to regional powers. Consequently, various coin names emerged—such as “Thông Bảo”, “Cự Bảo”, “Tuyền Bảo”, “Thái Bảo”, and “Trung Bảo”—some of which served merely to glorify the currency, while others indicated the minting authority. The same applies to “Cảnh Hưng Vĩnh Bảo”: the term “Vĩnh” denotes “eternity” or “perpetual circulation”, suggesting a coin meant to endure through the ages.

Emperor Lê Hiển Tông, personal name Lê Duy Diêu, was the longest-reigning sovereign of the Later Lê dynasty. Upon ascending the throne, he initially maintained a harmonious relationship with the powerful regent Trịnh Sâm. However, after Trịnh Sâm’s death, his son Trịnh Sâm (also known as Trịnh Cán or Trịnh Tông depending on historical context) grew jealous of Crown Prince Lê Duy Vĩ, the emperor’s son. This jealousy led to deliberate marginalisation of the emperor and ultimately compelled him to depose the crown prince. Subsequently, Crown Prince Lê Duy Vĩ was executed.

In AD 1786, the final year of Lê Hiển Tông’s reign, the rising Tây Sơn forces from southern Vietnam, led by Nguyễn Huệ, launched a military campaign against the Trịnh lords under the pretext of “supporting the Lê and eliminating the Trịnh” (phù Lê diệt Trịnh). The Trịnh forces suffered a decisive defeat and effectively disappeared from the political stage.

At that time, the ailing Lê Hiển Tông, though outwardly expressing approval of Nguyễn Huệ’s victory over the Trịnh, privately harboured deep concern about the growing power of the Tây Sơn. On his deathbed, he warned his successor—his imperial grandson—to remain vigilant toward the Tây Sơn movement.

During the Revival Lê Dynasty period, real power in northern Vietnam was held by the Trịnh lords, while the southern regions were controlled by the rival Nguyễn clan. This division gave rise to the prolonged conflict known as the Trịnh–Nguyễn War, often referred to by historians as Vietnam’s Southern and Northern Dynasties (Nam Bắc triều) period. The country remained politically fragmented for an extended time.

Despite the internal division, the Revival Lê Dynasty witnessed notable developments in culture, the arts, and the economy. Confucianism and the imperial examination system continued to flourish, contributing to what is considered one of the golden ages of Vietnamese cultural history.

In AD 1788, the Tây Sơn uprising overthrew the Lê regime, and the following year, Emperor Lê Chiêu Thống fled to Qing China. This marked the formal end of the Revival Lê Dynasty.

物件編號: A3078

年代: 公元 1762-1776 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 23.5 x 23.5 x 0.9 mm

重量: 2.55 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚後黎朝黎顯宗在位期間，以其年號鑄造的「景興永寶」，黃銅質。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「景興永寶」楷書，自上而下，由右至左對讀。「永」字寫為「𣱵」，「水」旁第二、三比之間連筆，有行書意。四字均接穿輪。錢幕光素無文，錢穿右側地章有餘銅，疑為翻砂鑄錢時，異物掉落砂模留下痕跡。

景興年號使用的時間長達47年，錢幣如景興通寶等已擁有許多複雜的版式。而自景興中，國政板蕩，王權旁落，不得不放鑄地方，因此更有雜寶錢名如：通寶、巨寶、泉寶、太寶、中寶，其稱謂用來形容和誇飾錢幣之外，部分則是標示鑄造單位。景興永寶亦然，「永」則有「直到永遠」和「萬世流通」的意思。

黎顯宗，名黎維祧(Lê Duy Diêu)，為後黎朝在位期間最久的皇帝，其繼位之初和掌握國政的權臣鄭楹保持良好的互動。然而鄭楹逝世之後，其子鄭森由於忌妒黎顯宗的太子黎維禕，故意冷落黎顯宗甚至迫使黎顯宗廢除黎維禕的太子身分，後續更將黎維禕殺害。

公元1786年，黎顯宗在位的最後一年，從越南南部起事的西山勢力阮文惠以「扶黎滅鄭」為藉口攻打鄭氏家族，鄭氏大敗就此退出歷史的舞台。此時病重的黎顯宗對於阮文惠消滅鄭氏表達外喜而內憂，臨終之際告訴繼承人皇孫要注意西山的勢力。

黎中興朝這一時期，鄭氏家族實際統治北越，南方則由阮氏政權控制，形成「鄭阮紛爭」，或稱「南北朝」局勢，國家處於長期分裂。儘管如此，黎中興朝在文化、藝術、經濟方面仍有一定發展，儒學、科舉制度繼續推行，成為越南文化的黃金時代之一。公元1788年西山起義軍推翻黎朝，次年黎昭統帝出逃清朝，黎中興朝宣告終結。