Item number: A3184

Year: AD 1558-1777

Material: Bronze

Size: 22.2 x 22.1 x 0.7 mm

Weight: 2.35 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a bronze coin bearing the inscription Thái Bình Thông Bảo, minted between AD 1558 and 1777 by the Nguyễn lords of Quảng Nam, a regime that, while nominally recognising the emperor of the Later Lê dynasty as sovereign, in practise ruled southern Vietnam with Huế as its capital.

The coin follows the traditional square-holed design modelled after Chinese cash coins. On the obverse, the inscription “太平通寶” (Thái Bình Thông Bảo) is engraved in regular script Chinese characters, arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side is plain, featuring no inscriptions or decorative elements.

According to the research of Japanese numismatist Okudaira Masahiro, the term “Thái Bình” (太平) does not refer to a reign title, but rather serves as an auspicious expression. Beginning with Nguyễn Hoàng, the founding figure of the Nguyễn lords of Quảng Nam, successive rulers continued to mint Thái Bình Thông Bảo coins to meet the demands of trade. As a result, these coins exhibit a wide variety of forms and styles, reflecting their prolonged and decentralised production.

The founder of the Nguyễn Lords of Quảng Nam was Nguyễn Hoàng, whose father, Nguyễn Kim, had been a key statesman of the Later Lê dynasty. During Nguyễn Hoàng’s youth, the Lê court was usurped by the Mạc dynasty, established by the warlord Mạc Đăng Dung. Although the Later Lê dynasty was later restored with the assistance of Nguyễn Kim, pushing the Mạc forces back to the northern frontier region near China (modern-day Cao Bằng), political tides shifted after Nguyễn Kim was assassinated. Power fell into the hands of his son-in-law Trịnh Kiểm, who began persecuting members of the Nguyễn family.

To escape Trịnh Kiểm’s political suppression, Nguyễn Hoàng requested and was granted governorship of the southern province of Thuận Hóa (modern Huế). There, he established an autonomous base of power, gradually expanding southward at the expense of the Champa Kingdom. This marked the beginning of a de facto divided Vietnam, with the Trịnh lords ruling the north and the Nguyễn lords ruling the south—a period known in Vietnamese history as the Southern and Northern Dynasties (Nam Bắc triều) division.

物件編號: A3184

年代: 公元 1558-1777 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 22.2 x 22.1 x 0.7 mm

重量: 2.35 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1558至1777年，名義上視後黎朝皇帝為君王，但實質上以順化為首都統治越南南部的「廣南阮主」政權，以青銅為材料鑄造的「太平通寶」。

錢幣形制效仿中國的方孔錢。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，以漢字楷書書法鐫刻「太平通寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

根據日本錢幣學家奧平昌洪的考據，「太平」並非指涉年號，而是用作吉語。廣南阮氏的奠基者阮潢伊始，後續的繼承者們皆有鑄造太平通寶以滿足貿易的需求，使得錢幣的版型十分豐富複雜。

廣南阮氏的奠基者為阮潢，父親阮淦為後黎朝倚重的大臣。阮潢成長的年代，後黎朝遭到權臣莫登庸創建的莫朝篡奪。雖然後黎朝在阮淦輔佐下復國，將莫朝的勢力壓制在鄰近中國的高平地區。但是隨著阮淦遭到暗殺，其女婿鄭檢掌握兵權開始迫害阮氏族人。阮潢為了躲避迫害，決定逃離受到鄭氏掌控的後黎朝朝廷，前往南方的重要城市順化另起爐灶，並且向南方的占婆擴張發展其勢力，此後越南便進入南北朝的分治局面。