Korean coin type set (1888 - 1910)

 

 

 

 

From personal collection

Reference from 2008 Korean Coins and Banknotes Catalogue (Hwadong), JNDA 06 edition, Krause 06 edition. Please kindly buy a copy of either reference to look up the values. I personally recommend the catalogue by Hwadong and the price of it is around 30USD including shipping. If you have trouble finding it, please send me an email and I might be able to help.

 

As well as, if you have coins that you are willing to let go that I don't have, let me know. :)

 

Any questions or enquiry - mail to:

 

Korea under Japanese Protectorate

 

Modern South Korean coins

 

Newer korean typeset in detail can be seen here

 

Korea under Japanese Protectorate

 

Mints under Japanese Protectorate:

 

Gaeguk 497, 1888 1 warn (Silver)

  • Alloy: Ag 90%, Cu 10%
  • Dimension: 38 x 2.5mm
  • Mass: 26.95g
  • Mint: Gyeongseong
  • One year type

 

 

Gaeguk 497, 1888 10 mun (Copper)

  • Alloy: Cu 98%, Sn 1%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 27.5 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 6.50g
  • Mint: Gyeongseong
  • One year type

 

 

Gaeguk 497, 1888 5 mun (Copper)

  • Alloy: Cu 98%, Sn 1%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 21.7 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 2.8g
  • Mint: Gyeongseong
  • One year type

 

 

Gaeguk 501, 1892 5 yang (Silver)

  • Alloy: Ag 90%, Cu 10%,
  • Dimension: 38 x 2.5mm
  • Mass: 26.96g
  • Mintage: 19,923
  • Minted in Incheon
  • One year type

 

 

Gaeguk 502, 1893 1 whan (Silver)

  • Alloy: Ag 90%, Cu 10%,
  • Dimension: 38 x 2.5mm
  • Mass: 26.96g
  • Mintage: Unknown number struck but many remelted, only 77 left
  • Minted in Incheon
  • One year type

 

 

Gaeguk 501,2, Gwangmu 2 (1892, 3, 1898) 1 yang (Silver)

  • Alloy: Ag 80%, Cu 20%,
  • Dimension: 22.5 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 5.20
  • Mintage: Unknown
  • Minted in Incheon
  • Three year type

 

Gaeguk 501 (1892) Gaeguk 502 (1893) Gwangmu 2 (1898) (small letters)
Gwangmu 2 (1898) (big letters) - key of series    
   

 

 

Gaeguk 501-505, Gwangmu 1-5 (1892-1901) 1/4 yang (Nicupro)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 75%, Ni 25%,
  • Dimension: 20.7 x 2.0mm
  • Mass: 4.80g
  • Gaeguk 501-505, Gwangmu 1 (1892-1897), Gwangmu were minted in Incheon; Gwangmu 2-5 (1898-1901) were minted in Yongsan

 

Gaeguk 501 (1892) - Great Korean Peninsular Gaeguk 502 (1893) - Korean Peninsular Gaeguk 503 (1894) - Korean Peninsular
Gaeguk 504 (1895) - Great Korean Peninsular Gaeguk 504 (1895) - Korean Peninsular* Gaeguk 505 (1896)- Korean Peninsular
Gwangmu 1 (1897) - Great Korea* Gwangmu 2 (1898) - Great Korea Gwangmu 3 (1899) - Great Korea (big letters)*
Gwangmu 3 (1899) - Great Korea (small letters)* Gwangmu 4 (1900) - Great Korea* Gwangmu 5(1901)  - Great Korea (big letters)*

* extremely difficult

 

 

Gaeguk 501-505, Gwangmu 2, 3, 6 (1892-96, 98, 99, 1902)  5 fun (Copper)

 
  • Alloy: Cu: 98%, Sn: 1%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 27.0 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 6.9g
  • Gaeguk 501-505, Gwangmu 1 (1892-1897), Gwangmu were minted in Incheon; Gwangmu 2-5 (1898-1901) were minted in Yongsan

 

Gaeguk 501 (1892) - Great Korean Peninsular (small letters) Geaguk 502 (1893) - Korean Peninsular (big letters) Gaeguk 502 (1893) - Korean Peninsular (small letters)
Gaeguk 503 (1894) - Korean Peninsular (big letters) Gaeguk 503 (1894) - Korean Peninsular (small letters) Gaeguk 504 (1895) - Korean Peninsular
Gaeguk 504 (1895) - Great Korean Peninsular Gaeguk 505 (1896) - Korean Peninsular (small letters) Gaeguk 505 (1896) - Great Korean Peninsular (big letters) ?
Gaeguk 505 (1896) - Great Korean Peninsular (small letters) Gwangmu 2 (1898) - Great Korea (big letters) Gwangmu 2 (1898) - Great Korea (middle letters)
Gwangmu 2 (1898) - Great Korea (small letters) Gwangmu 3 (1899) - Great Korea (rarest) Gwangmu 6 (1902) - Great Korea

 

Note: Many Korean 5 fun coins were imported to China and were overstruck. These can be found from coins minted at Chekiang and Hupeh 

 

Chekiang (1902-1905) 10 cash overstruck on Korean Guangmu 6 (1902) 5 fun

Hupei (1903-1906) 10 cash overstruck on Guangmu 2 (1898) 5 fun

(Special thanks to wattwat)

 

 

Gaeguk 501,502, 504,505 (1892, 3, 5,6) 1 fun (Brass)

 
  • Alloy: Cu: 95%, Al 5%
  • Dimension: 23.4 x 1.0mm
  • Mass: 3.30g
  • Mint: Incheon
  • Four year type

 

Gwangmu 501 (1892) - Great Korean Peninsular Gwangmu 502 (1893) - Korean Peninsular Gwangmu 504 (1895) - Great Korean Peninsular
Gwangmu 504 (1895) - Korean Peninsular Gwangmu 505 (1896) - Great Korean Peninsular  
 

 

 

Gwangmu 10, Yunghui 2, 3 (1906, 8,9) 20 won (Gold)

 
  • Alloy: Au 90%, Cu 10%
  • Dimension: 28.8 x 2.0mm
  • Mass: 16.7g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Three year type
  • Mintage: as denoted

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906) - 2,500 Yunghui 2 (1908) - 40,000 Yunghui 3 (1909) - 25,000

 

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906) 10 yen

 
  • Alloy: Au 90%, Cu 10%
  • Dimension: 21.2 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 8.3g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • One year type
  • Mintage: 5,000

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906)

 

 

Yunghui 2 (1908) 5 won (Gold)

 
  • Alloy: Au 90%, Cu 10%
  • Dimension: 17.0 x 1.0mm
  • Mass: 4.2g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • One year type
  • Mintage: 10,000

 

Yunghui 2 (1908)

Note: All Korean gold coins are extremely rare and expensive as many were melted down.

 

 

Gwangmu 9,10 (1905,6) half won (large type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: 31.0 x 2.0mm
  • Mass: 13.5g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Two year type

 

 

Gwangmu 9 (1905) - 0.6m Gwangmu 10 (1906) - 1.35m (JNDA quotes 1.2m)

 

 

Gwangmu 11, Yunghui 2 (1907, 8) half won (small type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: 27.5 x 2.0mm
  • Mass: 10.0g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Two year type

 

 

Gwangmu 11 (1907) - 1.0m Yunghui 2 (1908) - 1.4m

 

 

Gwangmu 9, Gwangmu 10 (1905, 6) 20 chon (large type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: 22.8 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 5.4g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Two year type

 

 

Gwangmu 9 (1905) - 1.0m Gwangmu 10 (1906) - 2.5m

 

 

Gwangmu 11, Yunghui 2-4 (1907, 8-10) 20 chon (small type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: 22.8 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 4.0g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Four year type

 

 

Gwangmu 11 (1907) - 1.5m Yunghui 2 (1908) - 1.4m (JNDA quotes 3.0m) Yunghui 3 (1909) - 2m
Yunghui 4 (1910) - 2m    
   

 

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906) 10 chon (large type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: 17.6 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 2.50g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • One year type
  • Mintage: 2m

 

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906)

 


 

Gwangmu 11, Yunghui 2-4 (1907, 8-10) 10 chon (small type) (Silver)

 
  • Alloy: Au 80%, Cu 20%
  • Dimension: ? x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 2.25g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Four year type (?) Mintage of Yunghui 3 is unconfirmed.

 

 

Gwangmu 11 (1907) - 2.4m Yunghui 2 (1908) - 6.3m Yunghui 3 (1909) - ?
Yunghui 4 (1910) - 9.5m    
   

 

 

Gwangmu 9 ,11, Yunghui 3 (1905, 7, 9) 5 chon (Nicupro)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 75%, Ni 25%
  • Dimension: 20.8 x 2.0mm
  • Mass: 4.0g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Three year type, Yunghui 3 exceedingly scarce

 

 

Gwangmu 9 (1905) - 20m Gwangmu 11 (1907) - 16m Yunghui 3 (1909) - unknown (JNDA quotes 4.0m)

Note: JNDA quotes for Yunghui 3 5 chon seems to be awfully high - the price quoted is in at least 1-2 thousands of dollars which meant a fair amount of them must have been melted down later on.

 

 

Gwangmu 9,10 (1905,6) 1 chon (large type) (Copper)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 98%, Sn 1%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 28.0 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 7.1g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Two year type
  • Combined mintage of both Gwangmu 9,10 is 11.8m
  • Gwangmu 9 1 chon scarcer than Gwangmu 10

 

 

Gwangmu 9 (1905) Gwangmu 10 (1906)

 

 

Gwangmu 11, Yunghui 1-4 (1907,7-10) 1 chon (small type) (Copper)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 98%, Sn 1%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 22.5 x 1.0mm
  • Mass: 4.1g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Five year type
  • Combined mintage of both Gwangmu 11 and Yunghui 1 is 11.2m
  • Yunghui 1 1 chon scarcer than Gwangmu 11

 

 

Gwangmu 11 (1907) Yunghui 1(1907) Yunghui 2 (1908) - 6.8m
Yunghui 3 (1909) - 9.2m Yunghui 4 (1910) - 3.5m  
 

 

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906) half chon (big type) (Copper)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 95%, Sn 4%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 21.9 x 1.5mm
  • Mass: 3.4g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • One year type
  • Mintage of 24m

 

 

Gwangmu 10 (1906)

 

 

Yunghui 1-4 (1907-1910) half chon (small type) (Copper)

 
  • Alloy: Cu 95%, Sn 4%, Zn 1%
  • Dimension: 19.1 x 1.0mm
  • Mass: 2.10g
  • Mint: Osaka Mint, Japan
  • Five year type? Gwangmu 11 is unconfirmed

 

 

Gwangmu 11 (1907) - unconfirmed (JNDA has no record) Yunghui 1 (1907) - 0.8m Yunghui 2 (1908) - 21m
Yunghui 3 (1909) - 8.2m Yunghui 4 (1910) - unknown (rarest)  
 

 

 

Note: The size of the Gwangmu 10 1/2 chon (big type) is roughly the same diameter of the Gwangmu 11, Yunghui 1-4 1 chon (small type) - the only major difference is the weight and thickness but this modification must have fooled a fair amount of people. The reverse is modified to show 1 chon. This is NOT an error coin but instead modified to fool people! 

 

 

Modern South Korean coins

 

 

 

New Korean type set in details can be seen here

 

South Korea has minted proof coins for circulation coins only in 1982 with a scarce mintage of just 2000. Coins struck in 1959 and 1961 are supposedly struck in the US mints but this is not confirmed.

 

1959 100 hwan

 

1959, 61 50 hwan

 

 

1959, 61 10 hwan

 

 

1982-84, 87-present 500 won

Nicupro 7.70g

Currently after the 1982 proof coin with a mintage of just 2,000, the 1998 500 won is said to be the second rarest. This is simply because none of them circulated in South Korea. 8000 of such coins were produced only in mint sets and all of them were meant for export.

 

 

1970-1975, 1977-1982 100 won

Nicupro 5.42g

 

1983-present 100 won

Nicupro 5.42g

 

 

1972-1982 50 won

Nicupro 4.16g

 

1983-present 50 won

Nicupro 4.16g

 

 

1966-1970 10 won

Bronze, 4.06g

 

1970-1975, 1977-1982 10 won

Brass, 4.06g

 

1983, 1985-2006 10 won

Brass, 4.06g

 

2006-present 10 won

Copper plated aluminum

In 2006, the South Korean government announced that it will change the composition of the 10 won coins because of the rising metal costs. The size of the 10 won coin is reduced and much lighter.

 

 

1966-1970 5 won

Bronze 2.95g

 

1970-1982 5 won

Brass 2.95g

 

1983-1991, 1995-present 5 won

Brass 2.95g

 

Note there is a transitional metal type from bronze to brass for both 5 and 10 won in 1970. This is most easily noticeable for coins that has patina of either reddish or golden. Both brass and bronze coins weigh exactly the same and hence it is impossible to distinguish by weight alone. See example in 10 won. Coins minted after 1995 are only available in mintsets.

 

 

1966-7 1 won

 

1968-1982 1 won

Aluminum, 0.729g

 

1983-1991, 1995-present 1 won

Aluminum, 0.729g

 

In 1992, it is decided that the value of 1 won and 5 won were so low that the Korean Mint stopped minting these coins. It is only in 1995 that only a small amount of these coins were minted for mint sets but such mint sets are also getting quite difficult to find. This also applies to 5 won coins.

 

 

 

 

28/06/09