This is a bronze coin cast during the reign of Emperor Lê Hiển Tông of the Later Lê dynasty, bearing the reign-title inscription “Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo.”
The coin follows the traditional format of round coins with a square central hole, typical of the Han cultural sphere. The inscription on the obverse, “Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo,” is written in regular script and is to be read vertically from top to bottom and right to left. The character “Cảnh” (景) tilts slightly to the left and leans forward; the dot on the left connects with the hook stroke but does not link with the “口” component. In the character “Hưng” (興), the “同” component contains an inner element written as “工,” and the long horizontal stroke ends with an upward flick, a feature known as the “jumping Hưng” (跳興). The “甬” component of “Thông” (通) begins with a relatively flattened form resembling “々”; the “辶” radical is rendered with a dot followed by a vertical stroke, and the final sweeping stroke ends with an angular bend. The character “Bảo” (寶) tilts slightly to the right and upward, with the “缶” component written in the form of “尔.” All four characters are connected through the central square hole, with the characters “Thông” (通) and “Bảo” (寶) extending into the rim. The coin face is smooth and flat, and the contours—comprising the raised outer rim and the inner edge around the square hole—are subtly skewed toward the upper right.
During the reign of Emperor Lê Thái Tông, due to tax collectors frequently rejecting low-quality coins when collecting levies, a decree was issued stipulating that any coin that could be strung together would be deemed acceptable for circulation. This policy, designed to prevent corrupt officials from harassing honest citizens, unintentionally laid the groundwork for a gradual decline in coin quality. Once all coins were mandated to circulate regardless of quality, the acceptability of coins in actual market transactions ceased to be a primary concern. Instead, the emphasis shifted to whether a given quantity of copper could produce a greater number of coins, thereby increasing profit. This situation further encouraged private minting, as illicit producers were more inclined to purchase high-quality official coins, melt them down, and recast them privately.
By the time of the Lê Restoration, the Trịnh and Nguyễn lords were engaged in fierce rivalry. As both regimes sought to ensure their survival, they simultaneously initiated border conflicts to expand their influence and encouraged both domestic and foreign trade—especially with Japan—as a means of consolidating wealth. The frequent warfare led to growing military expenditures, while expanding trade created massive demand for currency. The flourishing commercial activities, in turn, stimulated greater monetary usage within the realm. During this period, taxes, corvée labour, and requisitions could be commuted into monetary payments. Moreover, peasants displaced by warfare often converted surplus produce into coin for easier mobility during flight.
In the early years of the Cảnh Hưng era, the Cảnh Hưng Thông Bảo coin was first cast in the capital, Kinh Đô. Later, official mints across various regions began minting as well, despite ongoing prohibitions against private coinage, which proved difficult to enforce. In AD 1753 (the fourteenth year of the Cảnh Hưng era), in response to widespread illicit minting, Lord Trịnh Doanh ordered the closure of all regional mints, retaining only the Nhật Chiêu and Cổ Xá mints in the capital. Nevertheless, illegal minting persisted. By AD 1760 (the twenty-first year of Cảnh Hưng), due to the capital’s inability to meet the growing demand for coinage, Emperor Lê Hiển Tông was compelled to acknowledge the de facto operation of regional mints, permitting their continued activity provided that the place of production was recorded for quality supervision.
In AD 1762 (the twenty-third year of Cảnh Hưng), Lord Trịnh Doanh, gravely ill and politically estranged from the imperial family, was succeeded by Trịnh Sâm, who assumed full control over national affairs. From that point on, central authority steadily declined, and low-quality official and privately minted coins flooded the market. Concurrently, numerous uprisings erupted across the country, dramatically increasing military expenditures. Emperor Lê Hiển Tông was forced to repeatedly change coin names and designs in an attempt to replace debased coins that had lost public confidence. The extensive circulation of copper coins, combined with declining productivity due to wartime devastation, led to inflation and a further decline in coin value—ironically fuelling even more coin production.
Thus, over the more than forty years of Emperor Cảnh Hưng’s lengthy reign, these intersecting contradictions culminated in what later became known as the “Cảnh Hưng Coin Phenomenon”—a period marked by an unprecedented proliferation of coin types and extreme variation in design, rarely seen elsewhere in monetary history.
Emperor Lê Hiển Tông, personal name Lê Duy Diêu, was the longest-reigning sovereign of the Later Lê dynasty. Upon ascending the throne, he initially maintained a harmonious relationship with the powerful regent Trịnh Sâm. However, after Trịnh Sâm’s death, his son Trịnh Sâm (also known as Trịnh Cán or Trịnh Tông depending on historical context) grew jealous of Crown Prince Lê Duy Vĩ, the emperor’s son. This jealousy led to deliberate marginalisation of the emperor and ultimately compelled him to depose the crown prince. Subsequently, Crown Prince Lê Duy Vĩ was executed.
In AD 1786, the final year of Lê Hiển Tông’s reign, the rising Tây Sơn forces from southern Vietnam, led by Nguyễn Huệ, launched a military campaign against the Trịnh lords under the pretext of “supporting the Lê and eliminating the Trịnh” (phù Lê diệt Trịnh). The Trịnh forces suffered a decisive defeat and effectively disappeared from the political stage.
At that time, the ailing Lê Hiển Tông, though outwardly expressing approval of Nguyễn Huệ’s victory over the Trịnh, privately harboured deep concern about the growing power of the Tây Sơn. On his deathbed, he warned his successor—his imperial grandson—to remain vigilant toward the Tây Sơn movement.
During the Revival Lê Dynasty period, real power in northern Vietnam was held by the Trịnh lords, while the southern regions were controlled by the rival Nguyễn clan. This division gave rise to the prolonged conflict known as the Trịnh–Nguyễn War, often referred to by historians as Vietnam’s Southern and Northern Dynasties (Nam Bắc triều) period. The country remained politically fragmented for an extended time.
Despite the internal division, the Revival Lê Dynasty witnessed notable developments in culture, the arts, and the economy. Confucianism and the imperial examination system continued to flourish, contributing to what is considered one of the golden ages of Vietnamese cultural history.
In AD 1788, the Tây Sơn uprising overthrew the Lê regime, and the following year, Emperor Lê Chiêu Thống fled to Qing China. This marked the formal end of the Revival Lê Dynasty.
