Vietnamese coin – HCR58841

Obverse

Inscription:

大定通寶

Design:

Regular script

Reverse

Inscription:

None

Design:

Plain, with raised rims

Information

Period

Vietnamese

Denomination

1 Đồng (一銅)

Material

bronze

Technique

cast

Dating

1533 - 1573

Measurements
Acquisition
Additional information
Ticket
References
Credit

Weight (g)

3.29

Diameter (mm)

24.3

Acquisition method

gift

Acquisition collection reference

Kutsuki Masatsuna

Acquisition date

10/5/1922

Source

Indian Institute, Oxford

Acquisition credit

Transferred from the Indian Institute, Oxford, 1922; to them, gifted/bequeathed by Howell Wills.

Transliteration (obverse)

Đại Định Thông Bảo

Reference

Barker : Page 87, Figure 22.1

Note:

Barker suggests that this coin was issued by Dương Nhật Le (1369 – 1370) while acknowledging that this is contested, because of the shortness of his disputed reign and the calligraphy, especially of the 通 character with its open rectangular head.

Reference

Hartill GCC : Page 101, Figure 2.11

Note:

Hartill includes this coin among his Category, Large Copper – Distinct Calligraphy. Group 1. (“Nguyen Hoa Type”). His arrangement follows that of Greenbaum (2013a).

Reference

Greenbaum 2013a : Pages 1-46,

Note:

Greenbaum (2013a), studied 18 “Nguyen Hoa Era” coins that he demonstrated had complex design features in common. Fourteen of these coins legends (including 大定通寶) had been listed as a stylistic group (“Hoàng-ân” style) by the Japanese numismatist Muneaki Uno (宇野宗明) in his book Shoku Kecho Ruien (續化蝶類苑) compiled circa 1773. He gave a copy of his work to Masatsuna Kutsuki in 1773/4. In 1790 Kutsuki published his own book Kokon Senka Kan (or Kagami), which included a grouping of 8 coins from Muneaki’s 14 which Kutsuki now called “Minh Tống style”. This group included a careful drawing of the 大定通寶 from Kutsuki’s own collection, which is reproduced in Greenbaum’s paper. The illustrated coin is most likely to be HCR 58841. The Ðại Ðịnh Thông Bảo coin he considers to be in effect a hybrid of the Ðại Chính Thông Bảo (1530 – 1540) and the Minh Ðịnh Tống Bảo (1527 – 1529) issued under the Mạc Dynasty, with the style of the Thông slightly altered. Greenbaum argues on stylistic grounds that the entire series of 18 coins are likely to have been issued between the start of the Nguyên Hòa reign in 1533 and the start of the Gia Thái reign in 1573. Coins issued by the Lê Kings under the Trịnh Lords from 1573 are quite different in style and have no common features with this series. Greenbaum’s proposed dating has been used for this coin in the database.

This specimen

Yes

Reference

Thierry CMVS : p. 14, Figure 7

Note:

Thierry (CMVS) illustrated a large Đại Định Thông Bảo coin from the work Meiji Shinsen Senpu by Narushima Ryuhoku (1882-1885) that he regarded as closely related to Canh Nguyen coins. This is definitely the same coin type as HCR 58841 and may in fact be based on Kutsuki’s own coin. Thierry states that the same type was illustrated by Miura Gosen in Vol. I of his Annam Senpu (No. 4).

This specimen

Yes

Contributors to this coin record

jmairat, mritchie, cgallacher