Item number: A3212

Year: AD 1762-1776

Material: Brass

Size: 22.8 x 22.4 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 2.25 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a “Cảnh Hưng Cự Bảo” coin minted during the reign of Lê Hiển Tông of the Later Lê dynasty, cast in brass.

The coin follows the traditional square-holed round format of the Sinosphere. The obverse bears the inscription “Cảnh Hưng Cự Bảo” in regular script, read top to bottom, right to left. The character “Hưng” features a raised apex and its strokes are simplified, resembling the structure of “囲”. The characters are relatively small, and “Cảnh” and “Bảo” are partially blurred. All four characters connect to the central square hole and the inner circular rim, which itself is wide. On the reverse, the inscription reads “Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo” in regular script, also top to bottom, right to left. The central vertical stroke in the “Tiểu” radical of “Cảnh” is extended with an upward flick; the “Khẩu” radical of “Hưng” links to the vertical stroke on the left. From AD 1762 (Cảnh Hưng 23rd year) onward, various coin names were issued to generate revenue, among them “Cự Bảo”, where the term “Cự” does not denote a specific denomination but serves a laudatory function. Both sides bear inscriptions, indicating a double-obverse coin—likely the result of mismatched dies. Such variants with differing inscriptions on both sides are particularly rare and reflect the chaotic nature of coin production at the time.

During the reign of Lê Thái Tông, treasury officials often rejected worn coins when collecting taxes, prompting a royal edict mandating the circulation of any coins capable of being strung, regardless of condition. Though initially intended to prevent bureaucratic abuse of commoners, this policy inadvertently contributed to declining coin quality. With enforced acceptance of all coin types, the emphasis shifted from quality to quantity; private mints prioritised producing more coins from the same amount of copper. Some even remelted high-quality official coins to mint privately.

In the Revival Lê dynasty period, the Trịnh and Nguyễn lords vied for dominance, each seeking to survive through territorial expansion and promoting trade, particularly with Japan. These dual pressures—warfare and economic ambition—increased the demand for currency. Trade growth boosted domestic coin use; taxes, corvée, and requisitions were increasingly monetised. Displaced peasants, rendered landless by warfare, converted their assets into coin for portability in flight. Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo coins were first cast in the capital (Thăng Long), later spreading to regional official mints, despite persistent private coining. In AD 1753 (Cảnh Hưng 14), due to rampant private minting, Trịnh Doanh abolished most regional mints, retaining only the Nhật Chiêu and Cầu Đơ mints in the capital. Nevertheless, unauthorised minting persisted.

By AD 1760 (Cảnh Hưng 21), the capital alone could no longer meet the growing demand for currency. Lê Hiển Tông reluctantly legalised regional minting and began recording mint locations for quality supervision. In AD 1762 (Cảnh Hưng 23), as Trịnh Doanh fell gravely ill, his successor Trịnh Sâm, who was estranged from the royal family, seized control and sidelined Lê Hiển Tông. Central authority rapidly deteriorated, and debased official and private coins flooded the market. Rebellions erupted across the realm, exacerbating military spending. Lê Hiển Tông was compelled to repeatedly alter coin names and styles to replace depreciated currency. Massive coin production, coupled with wartime economic disruption, drove inflation and currency devaluation, which in turn stimulated further minting.

Over his 40-year reign, these economic, political, and military contradictions culminated in what numismatists call the “Cảnh Hưng Coin Phenomenon,” marked by an unprecedented variety and complexity of coin types and styles.

Lê Hiển Tông, born Lê Duy Diêu, reigned from AD 1740 to 1786 and was the longest-serving emperor of the Later Lê dynasty. Early in his reign, he maintained a cooperative relationship with Trịnh Doanh, the ruling lord. However, after Trịnh Doanh’s death, his son Trịnh Sâm, out of jealousy toward Crown Prince Lê Duy Vĩ, alienated the emperor and ultimately forced him to depose the prince, who was later executed. In AD 1786, the Tây Sơn forces under Nguyễn Huệ launched a campaign against the Trịnh lords under the pretext of “Supporting the Lê, Eliminating the Trịnh.” The Trịnh regime collapsed, ending its political dominance. Though Lê Hiển Tông publicly welcomed the Trịnh’s downfall, he privately expressed concern over the Tây Sơn threat and warned his grandson, the heir apparent, to be vigilant.

During this era, the Trịnh lords governed the north, while the Nguyễn lords controlled the south, creating a long-standing civil divide known as the Trịnh–Nguyễn conflict or the “Northern and Southern Courts.” Despite political fragmentation, the Revival Lê period saw considerable cultural, artistic, and economic development. Confucian education and the civil service examination system continued, establishing this era as one of Vietnam’s cultural golden ages. In AD 1788, the Tây Sơn uprising overthrew the Lê dynasty; the following year, Emperor Lê Chiêu Thống fled to Qing China, marking the formal end of the Revival Lê dynasty.

物件編號: A3212

年代: 公元 1762-1776 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.8 x 22.4 x 0.5 mm

重量: 2.25 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「景興巨寶」，黃銅質。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統之方孔圓錢。錢面錢文「景興巨寶」楷書，自上而下，由右至左對讀。「興」字凸頂，筆劃簡省為類似「囲」。字體較小，「景、寶」字漫漶，四字均接穿連輪，外輪較寬。錢幕錢文「景興通寶」楷書，自上而下，由右至左對讀。「景」字「小」旁中央豎劃有提勾；「興」字「口」旁向左連接豎劃。景興二十三年(公元1762年)起，多鑄各種錢名以斂財，「巨寶」便是其中之一，「巨」無幣值之意，僅為頌辭。面幕皆為錢文，乃合背錢，可能為模具錯配導致，異文的合背錢則更加稀少，反映當時鑄錢的混亂。

黎太宗時，由於庫吏收稅經常揀擇拒斥劣錢，便下令只要錢能穿繩，便能流通使用。此為防止滑吏騷擾的善民之政，卻為銅錢品質的下降埋下遠因。畢竟若錢一律強制行用，品質是否良好，投入市場能否受交易者的歡迎，便不再是考量重點。同量的銅材能否鑄更多枚才是利基所在，私鑄者更可能收購官方銅質良好之錢，鎔銅私鑄。至黎中興朝，鄭阮相爭，同時也因彼此競爭，一方面兩個政權都四啟邊釁，擴張以圖存，一方面也鼓勵國內以及對日本等國貿易以聚斂。戰爭的頻繁提高的軍費支出，貿易則產生了巨量的通貨需求。商業的繁茂也反過來促進了國內對錢幣的使用，賦稅、勞役、調用此時期也可折算為錢。更有甚者，因戰亂而失土離鄉的農民，將餘產折換為錢，更利於逃難。景興初年，景興通寶始鑄於京都，後各地官方錢場亦鑄，私鑄漸禁之不絕。景興十四年(公元1753年)，由於私鑄泛濫，鄭主鄭楹下令廢除各地錢場，僅存京都日昭、㕓橋錢場，然而各地錢場仍盜鑄不絕，景興二十一年(公元1760年)，由於京城無法擔負日益增長的鑄幣需求，黎顯宗被迫承認各地錢場的事實存在，只紀地以供督造品質。景興二十三年(公元1762年)，鄭楹病重，與帝室有隙的鄭森上位，國事一由裁決。此後國政板蕩，中央控制力不斷衰頹，官私劣錢泛濫。加以各地起事紛然，軍費大增。黎顯宗不得不頻繁更換錢名錢式，以取代失去信用的舊錢。而大量流通的銅錢，加以因戰亂而荒廢的生產，通貨膨脹，錢價更跌，反而更促進的錢幣的大量鑄造。於是，在景興帝長期統治的四十餘年間，各種矛盾衝突導致了「景興錢現象」，種類之多，版式之雜，世所罕見。

黎顯宗，名黎維祧(Lê Duy Diêu)，公元1740至1786年在位，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。