Item number: A3067

Year: AD 1762-1786

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.3 x 23.3 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 2.9 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a bronze coin cast during the reign of Lê Hiển Tông of the Later Lê dynasty, bearing the inscription “Cảnh Hưng Trọng Bảo”, named after the emperor’s era title.

The coin follows the traditional East Asian form of a round coin with a square central hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Cảnh Hưng Trọng Bảo” in regular script, read vertically from top to bottom and right to left. The component “Hưng” uses a variant form wherein the “đồng” radical replaces the central vertical line of “一, 口” with an inverted “一, 人” structure. In the character “Trọng”, the “lý” component (里) features two dots in place of the central horizontal stroke, and the entire form omits the “灬” radical found in the character “hắc” (黑), a variation commonly referred to as “crab-eyed Trọng”. Additionally, three excess bronze dots appear at the lower right corner of the character “Trọng”. The reverse of the coin is plain and uninscribed. The rim is slightly off-centred towards the upper left, and a crescent mark appears on the left side of the square hole, likely the result of a sand-casting flaw caused by the mother coin slipping onto the mould.

The Cảnh Hưng era title was used for an unusually long period of 47 years, and coins issued under this title—such as “Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo”—exist in numerous and complex variants. During the mid-Cảnh Hưng period, the political situation became increasingly unstable, and central royal authority declined, necessitating decentralised minting by regional powers. As a result, a variety of coin inscriptions emerged, including “Thông Bảo”, “Cự Bảo”, “Tuyền Bảo”, “Thái Bảo”, and “Trung Bảo”. While these terms were often employed to embellish or symbolise the coin’s significance, some also indicated specific minting authorities. “Cảnh Hưng Trọng Bảo” follows this pattern: the term “Trọng Bảo” in this case does not indicate denomination, as in other coinage traditions, but serves merely as the coin’s name.

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: A3067

年代: 公元 1762-1786 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.3 x 23.3 x 0.8 mm

重量: 2.9 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「景興重寶」，青銅質。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「景興重寶」楷書，自上而下，由右至左對讀。「興」字「同」旁中豎列的「一、口」改為倒置的「一、人」；「重」字「里」旁中央橫劃寫為二點，同「黑」字略去「灬」旁，稱「蟹目重」。「重」字右下另有餘銅三點。錢幕光素無文。輪廓微向左上方偏打，錢穿左側有一月紋，應為翻砂鑄錢時，母錢掉落砂模上留下印痕所致。

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。景興重寶亦然，並非如其他「重寶」一般標示幣值，而僅為錢名。

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。