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Later Lê Dynasty
Shaoping Tongbao
Emperor Lê Thái Tông
後黎朝
黎太宗
紹平通寶
Item number: A1216
Year: AD 1434-1439
Material: Bronze
Size: 24.1 x 23.8 x 0.8 mm
Weight: 2.75 g
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024
This coin, inscribed with “Shaoping Tongbao,” was minted during the reign of Emperor Lê Thái Tông, also known as Lê Nguyên Long, the second emperor of the Later Lê Dynasty in Vietnamese history. In Chinese historical records, he is referred to as Lê Linh. The coin bears the era name “Shaoping.”
The coin adopts the square-holed design modelled after Chinese coinage. On the obverse side, the four Chinese characters “Shaoping Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script, arranged sequentially in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side of the coin is blank, without any inscriptions or designs. Both the coin’s appearance and the script used reflect the profound cultural influence exerted by various Chinese dynasties that ruled over northern Vietnam for nearly a thousand years.
The Later Lê Dynasty was established by Lê Lợi, the father of Lê Nguyên Long, during a period when the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty intervened and occupied Vietnam following the decline of the Trần Dynasty. Lê Lợi led his supporters in a ten-year-long resistance against the invading Ming forces, ultimately achieving success in AD 1428 by founding the Later Lê Dynasty and forcing the Ming Empire to withdraw and recognise Vietnam’s independence.
In AD 1433, after ascending the throne as Emperor Lê Thái Tông, Lê Nguyên Long ordered the abolition of the paper currency left over from the previous dynasty and introduced the “Shaoping Tongbao” square-holed coin for nationwide circulation, which even spread into southern China, including the regions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Fujian.
The coinage of the Later Lê Dynasty is considered the pinnacle of minting technology in Vietnamese history, characterised by its superior copper quality, standardised design, and exquisite calligraphic artistry.