Item number: A3071

Year: ND

Material: Brass

Size: 20.8 x 20.8 x 0.3 mm

Weight: 1.15 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Tường Thánh Thông Bảo” coin that circulated in the Vietnamese region. Its precise origin remains uncertain, though many scholars consider it a privately minted issue.

The coin’s obverse bears the inscription “Tường Thánh Thông Bảo” in clerical script, read in a clockwise sequence. The character “Tường” (祥) shows connected strokes in the radical “dương” (羊), suggesting a semi-cursive style; the fifth stroke ends with a horizontal flourish characteristic of clerical script. In the character “Thánh” (聖), the second stroke of the “𡈼” component is extended, resembling the character “nhâm” (壬). In “Thông” (通), the “dũng” (甬) element features the component “マ” written as “コ”, while the “辶” radical is composed of two dots followed by a curved stroke, forming a unified shape. The coin’s surface is flat and undecorated, without outer or inner rims. The outer margin is broad, while the inner square border is extremely narrow.

The reign title “Tường Thánh” is not recorded in Vietnamese historical sources. Some scholars suggest that it may have been formed by combining elements from the Chinese reign titles “Xiangfu” (AD 1008–1016) under Emperor Zhenzong and “Tiansheng” (AD 1023–1032) under Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song dynasty. Coins such as “Xiangfu Tongbao” and “Tiansheng Yuanbao” inscribed in regular script may have influenced this, although the calligraphy shows subtle differences. In Vietnam, it was common for privately minted coins to adopt Chinese reign titles, especially from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. This practice reflected the frequent interactions between China and Vietnam—ranging from tributary relations and trade to military conflict—alongside Vietnam’s persistent shortage of copper. Large quantities of Chinese coins entered Vietnam and were widely accepted by local merchants and the general populace. Although the reassembling of characters from Chinese reign titles to create new coin names was rare, it was not without precedent. Another possibility is that it was inspired by local or regional coinage, such as the “Thiên Thánh Nguyên Bảo” issued in regular script by King Chế Bồng Nga of the Champa Kingdom.

Since the minting of “Thái Bình Hưng Bảo” in AD 970—the first square-holed round coin of Đại Việt—private coin production has been repeatedly banned yet never fully eradicated. The circulation of privately minted coins was often driven by the local scarcity of copper and the insufficiency of imported Chinese coins. These private coins were frequently of inferior quality and produced for profit. When excessively issued, they contributed to inflation and a decline in currency value, negatively impacting the livelihood of the population. The proliferation of private coinage typically occurred during times of political instability or weakening central authority. In Vietnam, this was especially prevalent during the late Trần dynasty (AD 1341 to 1400) and the later Lê dynasty (AD 1533 to 1789). Coins with smooth surfaces were often privately produced, and the broad-rimmed style of this specimen was common in the later Lê dynasty, especially in imitation of Ming and Qing coinage. Its relatively refined craftsmanship suggests that it may have been produced by powerful local elites.

The Revival Lê dynasty (AD 1533–1789) marked a distinct period within the later Lê dynasty. In AD 1527, Mạc Đăng Dung usurped the throne and established the Mạc dynasty. Loyalist officials of the Lê royal house regrouped in the south and proclaimed Lê Trang Tông as emperor, resulting in a prolonged north-south standoff. From AD 1545 onward, the Trịnh lords held real power, and the Lê emperors became puppet rulers under their control—a period referred to in historiography as the Restored Lê dynasty (Lê Trung Hưng triều). During this time, the Trịnh family governed northern Vietnam in practice, while the Nguyễn lords controlled the south, resulting in the enduring “Trịnh–Nguyễn conflict” or “Southern and Northern Dynasties” (Nam Bắc triều). Although the country remained politically fragmented, the period witnessed continued developments in culture, the arts, and the economy. Confucian learning and the imperial examination system remained active, and this era is regarded as one of the golden ages of Vietnamese cultural history. In AD 1788, the Tây Sơn uprising overthrew the Lê dynasty, and in the following year, Emperor Lê Chiêu Thống fled to the Qing empire, marking the end of the Revival Lê period.

The “Tường Thánh Thông Bảo” coin was first documented in AD 1882 by Eduardo Toda y Güell, a noted archaeologist and then Vice Consul of Spain in Macau, following his travels in East Asia. It was included in his publication “Annam and its Minor Currency”, published in Shanghai. Since then, the coin has occasionally appeared in French and Japanese numismatic catalogues and visual references, although its precise origin remains unverified. In Japanese numismatic literature, such as “Ana-sen Nyūmon: Shurui-sen Kō” (Introduction to Cash Coins: Study of Coin Types), unidentified coins are categorised by script, material, and form into various types (shurui), one of which includes the so-called “Tường Thánh” type. There also exists a “Tường Thánh Thông Bảo” coin classified under the “An Pháp type”.

The term “An Pháp type” derives from the inscription “An Pháp Nguyên Bảo”, which refers to the coinage issued by Mạc Thiên Tứ, a powerful local leader of Hà Tiên under the authority of the Nguyễn Lords of southern Vietnam. This coin was first minted in AD 1736. On this basis, it is inferred that the “Tường Thánh Thông Bảo” coin may also have been produced in the southern region of Vietnam during the 18th century.

物件編號: A3071

年代: ND

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 20.8 x 20.8 x 0.3 mm

重量: 1.15 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚流布越南地區之祥聖通寶。出處待考，學者多認為該錢幣為私鑄。

錢面錢文為「祥聖通寶」隸書，旋讀。「祥」字「羊」旁首二點筆連筆，有行書意；「羊」旁第五筆末橫劃雁尾有隸意；「聖」字「𡈼」旁第二筆首橫劃拉長，類似「壬」；「通」字「甬」旁「マ」首寫為「コ」；「辶」旁點並二折筆寫為二點並一折筆。錢幕平整，無輪無廓，光素無文，錢面外輪寬而內廓極細。

「祥聖」年號不見於越南史書，有學者認為是取北宋真宗「祥符」、北宋仁宗「天聖」年間，「祥符通寶」、「天聖元寶」之楷書版，唯字體稍有差別。於越南流布之私鑄錢，取中國年號而自鑄為常有之例，主要為宋、明、清諸帝。概因歷朝歷代，中越的關係自羈縻、朝貢、貿易乃至相互衝突，接觸頻繁，加以越南本地缺銅，是以中國貨幣大量流入，形制得到本地商民的肯認。而拆年號取字自組為錢名，雖較罕見但並非沒有他例。亦有可能取自越南歷史鑄幣，如占城國王制蓬峩「天聖元寶」即為楷書。

自大越太平年初(公元970年)首鑄「太平興寶」方孔圓錢以來，私鑄錢便屢禁不絕。私鑄錢的流布，多因越南銅料缺乏，加以中國流入之錢幣不能滿足需要所致。但私鑄錢多以次充好，以此牟利，倘若浮濫，從而發生錢賤物貴的景況，將影響民生。故私鑄錢的泛濫，多於中央政權衰弱，乃至地方政權彼此攻伐之時期。於越南而言，主要集中在陳朝晚期(公元1341至1400年)與後黎朝晚期(公元1533至1789年)。錢幕光整之錢多為私鑄，而該錢幣的寬輪形制，於倣明、清制錢的後黎朝晚期出現頗多。觀其鑄工較為精美，鑄幣者或為地方豪強。

大越黎中興朝(公元1533－1789年)，是後黎朝的一個特殊時期。公元1527年莫登庸篡位，建立莫朝，黎氏宗室遺臣在南方擁立黎莊宗，形成南北對峙局面。公元1545年以後，權臣鄭檢掌握實權，黎朝皇帝成為鄭主控制下的傀儡，史稱「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」的局勢，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。

該「祥聖通寶」錢幣初次入譜當為公元1882年，由著名的考古學家，時任西班牙駐澳門副領事的愛德華多·托達·伊·古埃爾(Eduardo Toda y Güell)，於遊歷東亞後，於上海出版之《安南及其小額貨幣》(Annam and its Minor Currency)。此後於法人、日人學者等之圖鑑與錢譜中也時有收錄，具體出處至今仍待考。於日人錢譜，如《穴銭入門 手類銭考》中，將難以溯源的無考品按書寫、材質、形制而歸納為各「手類」，其中便有「祥聖手」，另有「安法手」之祥聖通寶。

安法手命名由來為安法元寶，而安法元寶為廣南阮主冊立之河仙鎮豪強鄚天賜，其於公元1736年始鑄之錢幣。故推祥聖通寶或為18世紀中越南南部之鑄幣。