Item number: A3068

Year: AD 1782-1786

Material: Brass

Size: 21.7 x 21.7 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 1.9 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This coin, known as “Nam Vương Cự Bảo”, is believed to have been issued by the Trịnh lord Trịnh Khải, who held de facto control over the Later Lê dynasty court during the reign of Emperor Lê Hiển Tông. After being granted the title “Đoạn Nam Vương” in the forty-third year of the Cảnh Hưng era (corresponding to AD 1782), Trịnh Khải likely ordered the casting of this brass coin.

The coin follows the traditional East Asian form of a round coin with a square central hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Nam Vương Cự Bảo” in regular script, read vertically from top to bottom and right to left. The characters are partially eroded, the outlines indistinct, and the casting technique is crude; the brass appears dull and impure. The character “Nam” is written in a form resembling “𡭙”, and “Cự” in the shape of “叵”. The characters “Nam”, “Vương”, and “Bảo” are linked to the square hole, while “Nam”, “Vương”, and “Cự” are joined to the outer rim. The designation “Nam Vương” is generally understood as an abbreviation of the title “Đoạn Nam Vương”, though some scholars interpret it as a reference to “Uy Nam Vương”, the title granted to Trịnh Giang (who ruled from AD 1729 to 1740). The phrase “Cự Bảo” is hyperbolic in nature; whether it implies a distinct denomination from “Nam Vương Thông Bảo” remains undetermined. The calligraphic style of the character “Cự” bears notable resemblance to that found on the “Cảnh Hưng Cự Bảo” coinage. The inscription on the reverse appears to be either in Manchu script or seal script, possibly inscribed in an inverted vertical arrangement. However, the characters or letters are indistinct and currently undecipherable, and their meaning remains unknown.

The inscription on the reverse appears to read “Kỷ Nguyệt” (“己月”) in regular script, from right to left. The reverse features a slightly more distinct rim compared to the obverse. The character “Kỷ” (己) may also be interpreted as “Tỵ” (巳) or “Nhật” (日). “Kỷ” is the sixth of the ten Heavenly Stems, while “Tỵ” is the sixth of the twelve Earthly Branches; both can be used to denote the sixth lunar month. However, as Trịnh Khải was granted the title “Đoạn Nam Vương” in the eleventh lunar month of AD 1782, and no significant event occurred in the sixth month during the following four years that would warrant commemoration, this interpretation remains speculative. If the characters are read as a cyclical year, only AD 1785 corresponds to the Ất Tỵ year within the 1782–1786 period. That year, Trịnh Khải still held power, but no major historical event is recorded. In the earlier reign of Trịnh Giang, the only Tỵ year was AD 1737 (Đinh Tỵ), during which he suppressed rebellions and commissioned the casting of a large bronze Buddha statue. Whether these events are related to the “Nam Vương Cự Bảo” coin remains undetermined. If the reverse is interpreted as the characters “Nhật” (日) and “Nguyệt” (月), combined as “Minh” (明, meaning “brightness”), the inscription may serve merely a laudatory function rather than a date.

Trịnh Giang was the eighth Trịnh lord of northern Đại Việt, reigning from AD 1729 to 1740. He was granted the title “Uy Nam Vương” in AD 1730. While he initially continued the reformist policies of his father, he soon descended into tyranny—dismissing the emperor, indulging in luxury, commissioning the construction of extravagant palaces, and excessively exploiting the populace. He also broke precedent by requesting the Qing court to grant him the title “King of Annam”, violating the long-standing practise of the Trịnh lords recognising the Lê emperors as their sovereigns and refraining from claiming royal status themselves. His reign was marked by decadence and administrative corruption, severely damaging the legitimacy of the Trịnh regime and fuelling widespread peasant uprisings and social unrest. In AD 1740, he was overthrown in a coup led by his uncle Trịnh Doanh, ending his eight-year rule. Trịnh Giang was subsequently placed under house arrest and died in AD 1762. His rule is widely regarded as the turning point that precipitated the decline of the Trịnh lords.

Trịnh Khải, originally named Trịnh Tông, was the twelfth Trịnh lord, ruling from AD 1782 to 1786. He was the son of the preceding lord, Trịnh Sâm. During his youth, he was marginalised due to the rise of imperial consort Đặng Thị Huệ and her son Trịnh Cán. In AD 1782, following Trịnh Sâm’s death, Đặng Thị Huệ installed the six-year-old Trịnh Cán as lord. However, a military uprising led by the “Three Prefectures Army” (Tam phủ quân) quickly deposed him and elevated Trịnh Khải. During his reign, Trịnh Khải attempted to stabilise central authority, but his administration was plagued by corruption, weak military discipline, and the rapid rise of the Tây Sơn movement. In AD 1786, Tây Sơn general Nguyễn Huệ (later Emperor Quang Trung) launched a northern expedition under the pretext of supporting the Lê emperor. His forces captured Thăng Long (modern-day Hanoi) with little resistance. The Trịnh forces collapsed, Trịnh Khải was captured, and shortly thereafter committed suicide. Although he nominally ruled on behalf of Emperor Lê Hiển Tông, Trịnh Khải held actual power in the north and is considered the last Trịnh lord with substantial authority before the collapse of the regime.

物件編號: A3068

年代: 公元 1782-1786 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 21.7 x 21.7 x 0.5 mm

重量: 1.9 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚應由總掌後黎顯宗朝政之權臣鄭主，端南王鄭楷，於景興四十三年(公元1782年)得封端南王後，所鑄行的「南王巨寶」，黃銅質。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「南王巨寶」楷書，由上而下、由右至左對讀。字跡漫漶，輪廓不顯，工藝不精，銅質暗濁。「南」字大約寫為「𡭙」，「巨」字寫為「叵」。「南、王、寶」字接穿，「南、王、巨」字連輪。「南王」被視為「端南王」封號之略稱，另有一說為威南王鄭杠(公元1729-1740年)封號之略稱。「巨寶」為誇詞，是否代表與「南王通寶」幣值不同則待考。「巨」字之書風則頗類「景興巨寶」之「巨」。錢幕錢文或為滿文，或為篆書，似為上下倒書，具體字母無法辨識，含意不明。

鄭杠(Trịnh Giang)，越南第八代鄭主，公元1729至1740年在位，公元1730年得封威南王。鄭杠即位初期仍沿襲其父之政策，頒行若干整頓制度，但不久便，廢帝弒君，沉溺享樂，廣建宮殿，濫用民力，又向清朝請封為「安南國王」，打破鄭主長期尊奉黎皇、不逕自稱王的慣例，遭朝野批評。其統治中後期奢侈荒淫，政治腐敗，導致鄭氏政權威望大幅下滑，並引發大規模民變與社會動盪。公元1740年，他因失政被其叔鄭楹(Trịnh Doanh)發動政變廢黜，結束其八年的統治，之後被軟禁，至公元1762年去世。此後鄭氏政權由盛轉衰。

鄭楷(Trịnh Khải)，原名鄭棕(Trịnh Tông)，越南第十二代鄭主，公元1782至1786年在位。他是前任鄭主鄭森(Trịnh Sâm)之子。鄭楷年幼時因宮中寵妃鄧氏蕙(Đặng Thị Huệ)及其子鄭檊(Trịnh Cán)的地位上升而漸被疏遠。公元1782年，鄭森去世，鄧氏慧擁立年僅6歲的鄭簡為主，但隨即引起「三府軍」(Tam phủ quân)兵變，推翻鄭簡，擁立鄭楷為新任鄭主。在位期間，鄭楷致力於恢復中央政權的穩定，但朝政腐敗、軍紀廢弛，加上西山軍的崛起，使鄭氏政權日益衰弱。公元1786年，西山將領阮文惠(後來的光中皇帝)以援助黎皇為名發動北伐，迅速攻入昇龍(今河內)，鄭軍潰敗，鄭楷被俘，不久後自盡身亡。鄭楷在名義上是奉黎顯宗之命執政，實際上掌握北方政權，是鄭氏政權最後一位具實質影響力的君主。