Item number: M137

Year: AD 1820-1841

Material: Silver

Size: 48.9 x 48.9 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 23.6 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a medal called “Minh Mang Tong Bao,” awarded during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam, from AD 1820 to AD 1841. The silver medal has the appearance of a square-holed coin, with the four Chinese characters “Minh Mang Tong Bao” engraved on the obverse side in the sequence of “top, bottom, right, left”. “Minh Mang” represents the emperor’s reign title, while “Tong Bao” refers to the currency used in China since the Tang Dynasty. The reverse side of the medal features the four Chinese characters “Si Fang Wei Ze,” which originate from the ancient Chinese classic “Book of Songs”. The phrase translates to “(The Emperor) is the model for all the people.” Both the design and the inscription of the medal fully reflect the profound influence of Chinese culture on Vietnam.

The “Minh Mang 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. If one wishes to determine whether a “Tong Bao” is a medal or currency, the most suitable method is to check for additional perforations used to attach other decorations. Additionally, the presence of slanted lines is an important reference. Having slanted lines on the edge is a significant characteristic of circulating 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. The “Tien” in the form of a square-holed coin like “Minh Mang Tong Bao” allows recipients to wear it directly by threading a string through the central hole, often accompanied by tassells as decoration.

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 practies 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.

During the reign of Emperor Minh Mang, Vietnam reached its historical peak in terms of territorial expansion, conquering territories that are now part of Cambodia and Laos, among others. However, conflicts also arose with neighbouring regional power Siam (now Thailand). Concurrently, Minh Mang faced rebellions from Catholics within his country. In response, he ordered the execution of French missionaries, which contributed to his image in France as a tyrant.

物件編號: M137

年代: 公元 1820-1841 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 48.9 x 48.9 x 1.6 mm

重量: 23.6 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚公元1820至1841年間，越南阮朝的明命帝在位期間頒發的「明命通寶」獎章。該銀質獎章外觀為方孔錢，正面按照「上下右左」順序，依序刻有「明命通寶」四個漢字。「明命」是皇帝年號；「通寶」則是中國自唐朝以來採納的錢幣稱呼。獎章背面「四方為則」四個漢字，出處為中國上古經典《詩經》，意思是「(皇帝)是全體百姓的楷模」。獎章的形制和銘文皆充分表現中華文化對越南的深遠影響。

「明命通寶」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。若欲判斷一枚「通寶」究竟是獎章或貨幣最合適的方法，即是判斷「通寶」有無額外穿孔以銜接其他裝飾。除此之外，是否具備邊齒也是重要的參考依據，邊緣具有邊齒是作為流通貨幣的最大特徵。

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。諸如「明命通寶」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。

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。

明命帝的統治期間，越南版圖達到歷史上的巔峰，不僅征服今日柬埔寨和寮國等地，亦跟相鄰的區域強權暹羅不斷發生衝突。同一時間，面對國內天主教徒的叛亂，明命帝為此下令處決法國傳教士，使他在法國得到暴君的形象。