GWS Auctions is selling a sword believed to belong to King Thành Thái, with a starting price of $5,000.
GWS Auctions, a company specializing in auctioning jewelry, cars, and antique royal artifacts in Agoura Hills, California, has listed a sword that they claim belonged to King Thành Thái (of the Nguyễn Dynasty in Vietnam). The sword measures 32 inches (81 cm) in length, with a maximum width of 4 inches (10 cm) and a blade width of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm).
“The sword represents a prosperous, peaceful, and happy nation, adorned with precious stones, intricate carvings, and a lotus-shaped handle,” the auction house described. The handle of the sword is also engraved with several inscriptions, including “Royalty of Thành Thái” and some additional information.
Image of the sword believed to have belonged to King Thành Thái. (Photo: GWS Auctions).
The sword is listed with a starting price of $5,000, with each bid increment set at a minimum of $2,500. The item has attracted over 2,000 online views. However, during the online auction that ended at 10 AM (U.S. time) on July 17, there were no successful bids.
Regarding the sword’s provenance, GWS Auctions stated that it belonged to a family of descendants of the Nguyễn royal family currently residing in the U.S. and “wishes to remain anonymous as they still have relatives living in Vietnam.” However, due to the lack of additional evidence provided in the item’s description, the sword has raised some skepticism, especially since the auction house exaggerated with statements like: “This precious heirloom has survived through many wars, numerous dynasties, and has existed for over 1,000 years.”
The handle of the sword with the four characters “Royalty of Thành Thái”. (Photo: GWS Auctions).
Alongside the sword, GWS Auctions also auctioned several items claimed to have been owned by the Nguyễn royal family, such as a Guanyin statue made of celadon and an incense burner of Empress Từ Cung, which were successfully sold for $1,500 and $2,100, respectively.
According to the Vietnam National Museum of History, King Thành Thái (March 14, 1879), whose birth name was Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lân, was the seventh son of King Dục Đức. He was the tenth emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty, a patriot who cared for his people, and had reformist ideas but faced many hardships in life.
He ascended to the throne at the age of 10 (in 1889) at the Thái Hòa Palace without the “Imperial Seal” and without a “will.” In 1907, the colonial government discovered his anti-French sentiments, forcing him to abdicate and exiling him to Saigon, where he was placed under house arrest at Cap Saint Jacques (Vũng Tàu).
In 1916, he was exiled to Réunion Island (Africa) along with his son, who was also deposed by the French, King Duy Tân. During his years of exile, the former emperor lived a rather austere life. After 1945, thanks to the efforts of several organizations, he was allowed to return to Vietnam and lived with his family in Vũng Tàu. He passed away on March 20, 1954, in Saigon at the age of 75.
