Item number: A37

Year: AD 1848-1883

Material: Silver

Weight: 5.25 g

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2023

In the realm of silver coinage, Vietnam once minted a distinctive regional currency known as “bar money”. Prior to the French invasion in the 19th century, this type of silver bar held significant importance as a local currency, even serving as a currency for the royal treasury. Through trading, it found its way into Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and other regions. The obverse of these silver bars typically indicates the era in which they were minted, often corresponding to the reign of a specific emperor. For instance, the silver bars may bear the mark of the reign of Emperor Tu Duc (AD 1848-1883) of the Nguyễn Dynasty. The reverse side typically displays the denomination of the silver bar money as “one guan.”

The obverse side of this bar money bears its year of production, which was minted during the reign of the fourth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, Emperor Tu Duc (AD 1848-1883). The reverse side indicates the denomination of this bar money as one guan.

Vietnam, historically known as Annam, was one of the tributary states of the Qing Empire. However, in the late 19th century, Western powers, led by France, extended their influence over Vietnam from the southern region onwards. During the reign of Emperor Tu Duc, the Sino-French War erupted (AD 1883-1885) between the Qing Empire and the French Third Republic, contesting the sovereignty of Vietnam. The war spanned across Vietnam, southern China, and Taiwan. Emperor Tu Duc passed away near the end of the war, and ultimately, the Qing Empire acknowledged Annam as a French protectorate. Subsequently, Annam fell under French colonial rule as part of French Indochina.

The last emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty, Bảo Đại, became a puppet under various colonial powers, including France and Japan. This situation persisted until 1955 when under pressure from the Southern Vietnamese strongman Ngo Dinh Diem, Bảo Đại was forced into exile in France, marking the end of imperial rule in Vietnam.

物件編號: A37

年代: 公元 1848-1883 年

材質: 銀

重量: 5.25 g

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2023

越南在銀製貨幣方面，曾鑄造過一種極具區域特色的「條銀」，在公元19世紀法國入侵以前，這種條銀是當地的重要貨幣。甚至為皇室的內庫所御用，部分更透過貿易關係，傳入東南亞、中國和日本等地。此條銀於正面標示其年代，即越南阮朝第四任皇帝，嗣德年間(公元1848-83)所鑄造。背面則標示條銀面額為壹貫。

越南古稱安南，為清帝國的藩屬國之一。但進入公元19世紀以後，以法國為首的西方列強從南部染指安南。嗣德帝在位期間，清帝國和法蘭西第三共和國為了宗主權的歸屬爆發中法戰爭(公元1883-1885)，戰場橫跨越南、中國南部及台灣。而嗣德帝在戰爭末期駕崩，最終清帝國承認安南為法國保護國，後續則淪為法屬印度支那殖民地。阮朝的末代皇帝保大，則先後成為法國和日本等殖民勢力的傀儡，直到公元1955年在南越強人吳廷琰的逼宮下，被迫流亡法國和結束帝制在越南的歷史。