Item number: M133

Year: AD 1841-1847

Material: Silver

Size: 42.0 x 42.0 x 2.2 mm

Weight: 24.35 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a medal called “Thieu Tri Tong Bao,” awarded during the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam, from AD 1841 to AD 1847. The silver medal is circular in shape, with a central sun motif on the obverse side. Around the sun, in the “top-bottom-right-left” sequence, are four Chinese characters engraved: “Thieu Tri Tong Bao.” “Thieu Tri” represents the emperor’s reign title, while “Tong Bao” refers to the currency used in China since the Tang Dynasty. This type of currency was adopted by East Asian cultures including Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, showing the deep influence of Chinese culture on Vietnam. On the reverse side of the medal is a five-clawed dragon rising amidst clouds, symbolising the emperor. The dragon’s left front claw holds a dragon pearl.

The “Thieu Tri Tong Bao” medal bears a striking resemblance to coins, leading to its local designation in Vietnam as “Tien” and its designation by the French colonialists as the “Coin of Honour.” The presence of the characters “Tong Bao” on the medal often leads collectors to mistake it for a coin. But there is still the possibility for precious metal-made “Tien” to be used as circulating currency. The presence of slanted lines is the primary characteristic indicating its use as circulating currency. Therefore, the presence of slanted lines on this “Thieu Tri Tong Bao” leads us to not rule out its potential as currency. Currencies during the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam were heavily influenced by Chinese practises. Commonly circulated coins were made of cheap metals like copper or zinc, and typically featured square holes. Precious metals like gold or silver were often shaped into rectangular ingots called “Nen,” with the reign title printed in Chinese characters on top. In the 18th century, during the influx of Spanish and Mexican silver dollars into the Far East, Vietnam initially continued the practise of recasting them into “Nen,” before gradually introducing silver or gold “Tien.”

During the Nguyen Dynasty, gold and silver “Tiens” were typically minted by the royal court to honour and appease civil and military officials. Additionally, on special occasions such as New Year, the Song Shan Festival dedicated to elders, or the emperor’s 50th, 60th, and 70th birthdays, “Tien” coins were also awarded as commemorative and reward tokens. For square-holed “Tien” coins, recipients could directly thread a rope through the central hole for wearing, often adorned with tassells as decorations. It is noteworthy that the “Thieu Tri Tong Bao” discussed in this article has two versions: one without hole and one with a square hole, and the difference can be seen from the design on the reverse side of the medal. The former features a “flying dragon,” while the latter depicts “symmetrical twin dragons.”

Before the Nguyen Dynasty ruled Vietnam, there may have been a similar system of awards and medals, but there is a lack of precise records about it. It wasn’t until the arrival of the French in Vietnam in AD 1840 that Europeans first documented a medal reward system resembling Western practises in the imperial court of Hue during the Nguyen Dynasty.

Based on the metal material, one can roughly determine the rank of the “Tien.” The highest rank, known as “Kim Tien” (Gold Tien), has four levels. In the early period of the Nguyen Dynasty, they were made of real gold, but later they gradually shifted to gold plating or basic metals. The next level, “Ngan Tien” (Silver Tien), sometimes follows European practises by indicating rank differences, but many “Silver Tiens” mainly display the regnal year of the emperor without specific rank distinctions.

物件編號: M133

年代: 公元 1841-1847 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 42.0 x 42.0 x 2.2 mm

重量: 24.35 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1841至1847年間，越南阮朝的紹治帝在位期間頒發的「紹治通寶」獎章。該銀質獎章外觀為圓形，正面以太陽圖騰為中心，按「上下右左」順序，依序刻有「紹治通寶」四個漢字。「紹治」是皇帝年號；「通寶」則是中國自唐朝以來採納的錢幣稱呼，此型制的錢幣為越南、韓國和日本等東亞文化圈採納，可見中華文化對越南的深遠影響。獎章背面是一隻象徵皇帝，騰雲上升的五爪龍，左前爪還抓握一粒龍珠。

「紹治通寶」外表和錢幣非常相似，該型制的獎章在越南當地稱作「錢(Tien)」，後續殖民越南的法國人稱其為「榮譽錢幣」。由於該獎章有「通寶」二字，故許多收藏家將其判斷為錢幣。不過貴金屬製成的「錢」仍有用作流通貨幣的機會，若邊緣具有邊齒便是作為流通貨幣的最大特徵。這枚具備邊齒的「紹治通寶」，使我們不能排除其作為貨幣的可能性。阮朝的貨幣受到中國影響，民間流通的貨幣以銅或鋅等賤金屬鑄造，並且外觀以方孔錢為主。黃金或白銀等貴金屬，朝廷或商家則習慣將其製作成稱為「年 (Nen)」的矩形金塊，在上方以漢字打印年號。公元18世紀，西班牙和墨西哥銀元大舉湧入遠東之際，越南起先仍習慣將其重鑄為「年」，後續才逐漸出現銀或金質的「錢」。

阮朝宮廷以黃金和白銀鑄造「錢」的時機，多半是犒賞或安撫文武官的榮譽獎勵。除此之外在特殊慶典，例如：新年、主旨是敬老的頌神節或皇帝的50、60和70歲大壽上也會頒發「錢」作為紀念和犒賞。方孔錢型制的「錢」，受獎者能直接以繩子穿繫中央的孔洞配戴，並且往往搭配流蘇作裝飾。值得注意的是，本文章討論的「紹治通寶」，分別有無孔錢和方孔錢兩種版本，能從獎章背面的圖案看出差異，前者是「一隻騰龍」，後者則是「對稱雙龍」。

儘管在阮朝統治越南以前，當地可能就有類似歐洲的獎章制度卻苦於缺乏確切紀錄。直到公元1840年，法國人抵達越南後，歐洲人才首次記載阮朝在順化的宮廷中，有一套類似西方的獎章獎勵機制。從金屬材質就能大致判斷「錢」的等級，最高等的「金錢(Kim Tien)」有四級，在阮朝早期以真金製成，到後期逐漸改為鍍金或基本金屬。次一等的「銀錢(Ngan Tien)」，有些效法歐洲標明等級差異外，更多的「銀錢」僅有標示皇帝年號。