Vietnamese mạch
chữ Hán: 陌 (mạch) | |
---|---|
Denominations | |
Superunit | |
10 | Quán ( |
Subunit | |
1⁄60 | văn ( |
Demographics | |
Date of introduction | 1837 |
User(s) | Đại Nam, French Indochina (until 1945) |
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. |
The mạch (chữ Hán: 陌) was a Vietnamese currency unit introduced in 1837 during the Nguyễn dynasty, the mạch represented a value of 60 văn (
The mạch currency unit was used on both copper-alloy cash coins and silver ingots, the only series of cash coins to use the character "mạch" (陌) in its inscription was the Tự Đức Bảo Sao (嗣德
History[edit]
The Minh Mạng emperor issued an imperial edict in 1837 stating "it is ruled under the terms of the law that the large monies of brass bearing moral inscriptions will have the value of a Mạch. One will make use of it in transactions and their value is thus fixed for all".[4] These larger cash coins with "moral inscriptions" (
Examples of inscriptions used on 1 mạch Minh Mạng Thông Bảo (
Under the reign of the Tự Đức Emperor the tiền (
While the earlier 1 mạch were large coins, they were cast in brass with a diameter of about 50 millimeters and with weights varying according to the reign period: 26 to 28 grams during the Minh Mạng era, rising to 35 to 41 grams during the Thiệu Trị era, and reaching 35 to 50 grams during the Tự Đức era, but the new Tự Đức Bảo Sao of 60 văn (1 mạch) had a weight of only 12.20 grams. The main motivation of the government of Đại Nam to adopt this new system was purely to make the coin casting process more profitable, while the Tự Đức Thông Bảo cash coins of 6 phần or 9 phần cost much to make, the Tự Đức Bảo Sao cost significantly less for the same (or even higher) nominal value.[17][18][19] By introducing the new system the government could cast brass cash coins of 50% copper and 50% zinc.[7] If the government cast a cash coin of a nominal value of 10 văn with a weight of 1 tiền and 5 phần, it could produce 8000 văn in Tự Đức Bảo Sao being worth 133 quán, 3 mạch, and 20 văn with a profit of 2 quán, 1 mạch, and 50 văn. While the same weight used to produce cash coins of 20 văn (these coins weigh 2 tiền) one obtains 6000 văn in Tự Đức Bảo Sao worth 200 quán with a profit of 68 quán, 2 mạch, and 35 văn. As the 60 văn Tự Đức Bảo Sao meant for general circulation was exactly worth 1 mạch it was cast in high number. Meanwhile, the Tự Đức Bảo Sao cash coins of 10 văn, 20 văn, 30 văn, 40 văn, and 50 văn were cast at a rate of 20 smaller coins to 30 60 văn coins to serve as change.[7]
Profit margins of the Tự Đức Bảo Sao | |
---|---|
Denomination | Percentage of profit |
10 văn | 0,90% |
20 văn | 52% |
30 văn | 82,9% |
40 văn | 103,2% |
50 văn | 117,4% |
60 văn (1 mạch) |
128,6% |
Despite the politicians calculating large profit margins on the Tự Đức Bảo Sao, they did not expect nor foresee that the general population would show widespread defiance to the new high-denomination cash coins. The new high-denomination cash coins would see little circulation; the only reason these high-denomination low intrinsic value saw circulation was because they were forced onto an unwilling public.[7] The Tự Đức Bảo Sao series was abandoned shortly after its introduction. Afterwards a large number of Tự Đức Bảo Sao would still appear in the hands of private businesses such as metal founders, market stands, and antique shops selling them to Europeans, especially in Hanoi they were often displayed.[7]
The 2nd series of Tự Đức Bảo Sao cash coins did not have their nominal value expressed in how many zinc cash coins they were worth but in mạch and quán. Furthermore, as opposed to only using the character "chuẩn" (
After the production of the Tự Đức Bảo Sao stopped in 1871, production of the old 1-mạch cash coins was continued according to a letter written by Võ Đình Tình (
During the Tự Đức era naming taboos were extended to the mạch cash coins, certain characters which were used on Minh Mạng era mạch cash coins were discontinued. Naming taboos have been common tradition in the Chinese cultural world since ancient China, such as that during the Han dynasty the character bang (
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Because the mother of the Thiệu Trị Emperor was called Hồ Thị Hoa (
胡 氏 華 ).
References[edit]
- ^ Vietnamnet – Sử Việt, đọc vài quyển Chương IV "Tiền bạc, văn chương và lịch sử" (in Vietnamese).
- ^ "Definition of guàn (
貫 )". Retrieved 25 August 2010. - ^ Hán-Việt từ điển của Thiều Chửu. Nhà Xuất Bản TP. Hồ chí Minh. 2002 (in Vietnamese).
- ^ Schroeder 1905, p. 268.
- ^ a b c d François Thierry de Crussol (蒂埃
里 ) (2011). "The Confucian Message on Vietnamese Coins, A closer look at the Nguyễn dynasty's large coins with moral maxims », Numismatic Chronicle, 2011, pp. 367-406". Academia.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2019. - ^ Sudokuone.com The Large Cash Coins of the Nguyễn Emperors. Retrieved: 23 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Art-Hanoi CURRENCY TYPES AND THEIR FACE VALUES DURING THE TỰ ĐỨC ERA. This is a translation of the article "Monnaies et circulation monetairé au Vietnam dans l’ère Tự Đức (1848–1883) by François Thierry de Crussol (蒂埃
里 ). Published in Revue Numismatique 1999 (volume # 154). Pgs 267-313. This translation is from pages 274-297. Translator: Craig Greenbaum. Retrieved: 23 August 2019. - ^ PENG Xin-Wei, (1958) Zhongguo Huobi Shi (Monetary History of China), second ed., Shanghai, Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, (Peng pp. 833–838).
- ^ XIV International Economic History Congress, Helsinki 2006 Session 106 Too Commercialised To Synchronize Currencies: Monetary Peasant Economy in Late Imperial China in Comparison with Contemporary Japan by Akinobu Kuroda (University of Tokyo) Retrieved: 11 June 2017
- ^ Bank of Japan – Money Museum Early Modern Times (2) First half of the 19th century Bunsei and Tenpō recoinages Retrieved: 11 June 2017.
- ^ "Ryuukyuuan coins". Luke Roberts at the Department of History - University of California at Santa Barbara. 24 October 2003. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ "Japanese Coins Circulating on Perry's Arrival and Shortly Thereafter in the Ryukyu Kingdom". George C. Baxley (Baxley Stamps). Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ (
日本銀行 ), Nippon/Nihon Ginkō (1973). "pp. 319-322". Nihon Ginkou Chousakyoku ed., Zuroku Nihon no kahei, vol.1 (Tokyo: Touyou Keizai Shinpousha, 1973). Tokyo: Nihon Ginkō. Chōsakyoku. / Bank of Japan, Economic Research Department. - ^ Ryūkyū Tsūhō (in Japanese) Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia,
沖縄 コンパクト事典 , Ryūkyū Shimpō, 1 March 2003. Access date = 8 June 2017. - ^ Robert Hellyer, Defining Engagement, Harvard University Press (2009), 192.
- ^ LEE Seok-Ryun (1984) Hanguk Hwapye Geumyungsa Yeongu (Study of Monetary and Financial History of Korea), Seoul, Pakyoungsa. (Lee p.123).
- ^ ED. TODA. (Shanghai, Qing dynasty 1882) ANNAM and its minor currency. Retrieved: 15 April 2018.
- ^ H.A. Ramsden, The high value issues of the Tu Duc series of Annamese coins, East Asia Journal, vol. 2, 55-62, 1995.
- ^ Tang Guo Yen, Chang Shi Chuan Yuenan lishi huobi (in Vietnamese Lich suu dong tien Vietnam - The Vietnamese historical currency), 1993, published by the Yunnan and Guangxi Numismatic Society (in Mandarin Chinese).
- ^ "Vietnamese Coin - Tu Duc Bao Sao 9 Mach". Vladimir Belyaev (Charm.ru - Chinese Coinage Website). 30 November 2001. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ François Thierry de Crussol, Catalogue des monnaies Vietnamiennes, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1987. (in French)
Sources[edit]
- Eduardo Toda y Güell (1882) ANNAM and its minor currency. Hosted on Art-Hanoi. (Wikimedia Commons)
- Dr. R. Allan Barker. (2004) The historical Cash Coins of Viet Nam. ISBN 981-05-2300-9
- Albert Schroeder (1905), Annam, Études numismatiques (in French). Hosted on Wikimedia Commons.