Item number: A3121

Year: AD 1787-1789

Material: Bronze

Size: 22.7 x 22.7 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 2.5 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a coin known as “Chiêu Thống Thông Bảo” (昭統通寶), cast in bronze during the reign of the last emperor of the Later Lê dynasty, Lê Mẫn Đế (黎愍帝), under the reign title Chiêu Thống.

The coin is produced in the traditional form of a round coin with a square central hole, typical of the monetary conventions of the Sinosphere. The inscription on the obverse reads “Chiêu Thống Thông Bảo” in regular script (khải thư), arranged vertically from top to bottom and read from right to left. The character Thống (統) is slightly elevated in form, with the upper portion appearing compact and the lower section more widely spaced. Its “Doãn” (允) component is written as “Huynh” (兄), forming the variant 綂. In the character Thông (通), the 辶 radical is rendered with a dot followed by a “Yǐn” (廴)-like component. The outer rim is unusually broad, and all four characters connect to both the central square hole and the rim. The strokes are indistinct and blurred due to wear or casting irregularities. The coin’s field is entirely plain and uninscribed. The outer rim is slightly misaligned, tilting to the left. A visible line appears on the right side of the rim, possibly caused by the accidental intrusion of a foreign object into the sand mould during the casting process.

In the first year of the Chiêu Thống reign (AD 1787), facing severe fiscal exhaustion, the court issued orders to collect copper statues and utensils from across the country to be melted down for coin production. However, the collapse of central authority rendered the court incapable of regulating minting activities or controlling copper transport. Consequently, privately cast coins proliferated, resulting in a wide variety of types and styles despite repeated prohibitions.

Lê Mẫn Đế (黎愍帝), born Lê Duy Kỳ (黎維祁), was the final emperor of the Later Lê dynasty. Following the Tây Sơn army’s northern campaign in AD 1786, the Trịnh lords, who had long held real power, collapsed. After the death of Emperor Lê Hiển Tông in AD 1787, Lê Duy Kỳ ascended the throne under the reign title Chiêu Thống. For a brief period, he exercised direct rule without external interference, though his effective control was extremely limited.

Soon thereafter, the Tây Sơn forces launched a second northern campaign, capturing Thăng Long (present-day Hanoi). Lê Chiêu Thống was forced to flee, retreating through Lạng Sơn into Qing China. He submitted a petition to the Qing court, requesting military assistance to restore his reign. At the end of AD 1788, the Qianlong Emperor ordered an expedition, dispatching Sun Shiyi and Fuk’anggan to escort Lê Chiêu Thống back to Vietnam.

However, in the first lunar month of AD 1789, Tây Sơn leader Nguyễn Huệ led a counter-offensive, personally commanding his army to meet the Qing forces at Ngọc Hồi and Đống Đa, where the Qing troops suffered a decisive defeat. Lê Chiêu Thống fled once more to Qing territory.

While some later accounts claim that he was compelled to adopt Qing hairstyle and attire, no direct historical records confirm this. He died in exile in Beijing in AD 1793. Later generations bestowed upon him the posthumous title Lê Mẫn Đế, with “Mẫn” (愍) signifying mourning and sorrow for a fallen dynasty.

物件編號: A3121

年代: 公元 1787-1789 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 22.7 x 22.7 x 0.5 mm

重量: 2.5 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚後黎朝的末代皇帝黎愍帝，以其年號發行鑄造的「昭統通寶」，青銅質。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「昭統通寶」楷書，自上而下，自右而左對讀。「統」字微昂，上密下疏，「允」旁寫為「兄」，即「綂」；「通」字「辶」旁寫為點加「廴」旁。外輪極寬，四字均接穿連輪，字跡漫漶。錢幕光素無文，外輪向左偏軸，右側輪環上有一槓，或為翻砂鑄幣過程中，異物掉落進砂模所致。

昭統元年(公元1787年)，由於財政枯竭，朝廷下令蒐羅各地銅像、銅器以鑄錢，但其實因為中央衰頹，已經無法管控地方鑄幣，遑論控制銅料的運輸，於是私鑄泛濫，版型繁多，禁而不止。

黎愍帝(Lê Mẫn Đế)，本名黎維祁(Lê Duy Kỳ)，是後黎朝末代皇帝。公元1786年西山軍北伐後，掌控實權的鄭主勢力瓦解。公元1787年，黎顯宗駕崩，黎愍帝即位，年號「昭統」，在短時間內不受掣肘地親政，但其實際統治空間極為有限。不久後，西山軍第二次北上，攻佔昇龍城(今河內)，黎愍帝被迫出逃，經諒山潰退至清朝境內。黎愍帝向清朝上奏請兵，期望清軍扶他復位。公元1788年底，清乾隆帝出兵援助，派孫士毅、福康安等人率軍南下，護送黎愍帝回越。然而公元1789年正月，西山領袖阮惠親自率軍，再次北上，在棉花洞與洞多一帶迎戰清軍，大破清兵，黎愍帝再度逃往清朝，他在清朝據稱被迫剃髮易服，並於公元1793年病逝北京。後人追尊其為黎愍帝，「愍」含哀悼亡國之義。