Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Nguyen Dynasty
Silver Quan Bar,
Emperor Tu Duc
阮朝
嗣德帝
價錢壹貫銀條
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 (AD1883-1885) 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.