This is a Gia Long thông bảo coin cast in brass during the reign of Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyễn dynasty. The standard weight was defined as five phân and five ly (approximately 2.01 grams), whereas this particular specimen weighs only four phân and three ly, suggesting it may be either privately cast or a later imitation due to its considerable deviation from the legal standard.
The coin adheres to the traditional East Asian typology of a round form with a square central hole. The obverse bears the inscription “Gia Long thông bảo” in regular script, arranged vertically and read from top to bottom, right to left. The characters are relatively small in size. In the character “隆”, the left component “生” lacks the downward left-falling stroke; in the character “通”, the radical “辶” is rendered with two dots and a vertical line, while the bottom sweeping stroke is straight and horizontal. The character “Bảo” (寶) exhibits a relatively narrow width between its left and right components, a feature referred to as “narrow Bảo” (xiá bǎo). The reverse is smooth and uninscribed. Both the obverse and reverse exhibit double-ringed rims (chóng lún), consisting of two concentric circular borders.
Prior to the establishment of the empire, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, then acting as lord of the Nguyễn clan, had already issued coins titled Gia Hưng thông bảo. After proclaiming the foundation of Đại Việt, coins of the earlier style were minted briefly in the first year of Gia Long’s reign (AD 1802). In AD 1803, the second year of the era, the Treasury Mint (Bảo Hóa Cục) was established in the northern citadel, and production of Gia Long thông bảo coins formally commenced. Initially, casting was carried out by private households affiliated with the mint, who purchased copper materials and produced coins based on official moulds, while the mint collected tax and prohibited deviations in form or unauthorised casting furnaces. Later, the state assumed control of copper supply, although casting remained privately operated. In AD 1813 (the twelfth year of Gia Long), the Bảo Tuyền Mint was added to expand production capacity. In AD 1814, drawing from the Qing dynasty coinage standards of the Qianlong period, a new alloy composition was adopted for coins marked “six phân” on the reverse: 50% red copper, 41.5% zinc (white lead), 6.5% lead (black lead), and 2% tin. After years of material stockpiling, all older currencies were withdrawn in AD 1817, the sixteenth year of the reign, and a unified coinage system was implemented. Coins with the “生” radical in “隆” written as “正” are generally attributed to the early Gia Long period. In the mid-to-late Gia Long period, the character was more often rendered with the “生” radical, in variant scripts, or with heavy circular rims—features commonly associated with coins cast by the various furnaces under the Bảo Tuyền Mint.
Emperor Gia Long, born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, was the founding sovereign of the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam. He survived the overthrow of the Nguyễn Lords by the Tây Sơn uprising and embarked on a 25-year-long campaign to restore his lineage. After repeated defeats and exile, he sought foreign support, notably from the French missionary Pigneau de Béhaine, who aided him in raising an army and navy and introducing Western military technologies. In AD 1802, he succeeded in defeating the Tây Sơn forces and reunifying Vietnam. He established the Nguyễn dynasty and adopted the regnal title Gia Long, renaming the state “Việt Nam.” His administration emulated Qing China’s bureaucratic model, instituting the Six Ministries and the imperial examination system, thereby centralising power and imposing cautious control over religious practice. Gia Long placed emphasis on educational, military, and fiscal reforms, and secured political legitimacy through tribute missions to the Qing court. He ruled until his death in AD 1820 and is regarded as the founder of Vietnam’s last dynastic regime.
嘉隆帝，名阮福映(Nguyễn Phúc Ánh)是越南阮朝的開國君主，他在西山起義推翻廣南阮主政權後倖存，開始長達二十五年的復國之路。早年多次遭西山軍追擊，他輾轉逃亡並尋求外援，特別依靠法國傳教士皮尼厄(Pigneau de Béhaine)的協助，籌建軍隊與海軍，並引進西方軍事技術。最終於公元1802年擊敗西山軍，統一越南，建立阮朝，自號嘉隆帝，改國號為「越南」。他仿效中國清朝制度，設立六部與科舉，強化中央集權，並對宗教採取審慎政策。嘉隆帝統治期間重視文教、軍事與財政體系的建設，並透過向清朝朝貢以鞏固正統地位。他在位至公元1820年去世，是越南近世封建統一的奠基者。
Thierry, François. Catalogue des monnaies vietnamiennes. Supplément. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques, 2002.
