KOREAN COINS

KINGDOM OF KOREA CHARITY OFFICE COIN   

These 2 Mun coins were issued by Charity Office (Poor Board) in Seoul, Korea.  The Kingdom of Korea authorized various government agencies and towns to issue coins.  All the coins all have the same four characters on the obverse and the mint name on the reverse.  The coin was minted from 1679 to 1695. 

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SCARCE NORTH KOREAN COIN SET  

North Korea rarely issues coins for general circulation and coins are struck for many years with only a single date.  This five coin set includes the first coins that North Korea issued for circulation.  They were used until 2009 when the country did a sudden forced currency revaluation which wiped out the savings of most of its citizens.  All five coins are aluminum and have the national arms on the obverse.   The 1, 5 and 10 Chon dated 1959 were the first coins issued by North Korea.  The denomination is on the reverse. The 1978 50 Chon features the Chollima statue which depicts a worker and a peasantwoman on horseback. The monument is 151 feet (46 meters) high. It was unveiled in 1961 to celebrate  leader Kim Il-sung's 49th birthday.  The 1987 1 Won depicts the "Grand People's Study House in  Pyongyang. It was constructed in 1982 to celebrate leader Kim Il-sung's 70th birthday.  Because it is a closed society, North Korean coins are difficult to obtain.

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NORTH KOREAN NOTE HONORS DICTATOR KIM IL-SUNG

North Korea honored their dictator Kim Il-sung on their 1978 100 Won note.  It was the highest denomination issued by North Korea at that time and the first time he appeared on a note.  The front includes his portrait surrounded by a garland of Siebold Magnolias, the national flower of North Korea. The North Korean arms are to the upper left.  The back features Kim Il-Sung's birthplace in Mangyongdae. The note measures 169x84mm and is Uncirculated.

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NORTH KOREAN BANKNOTE SET

This set of 4 North Korean notes includes the 2005 200 Won depicting Sebold's magnolias, the national flower; the 2007 500 Won depicting the Kim il Sung Mausoleum on the front and the Rungna Bridge over the Daedong river in Pyongyang; the 2006 1000 Won and 5000 Won, both of which depict Kim il Sung on the front and his birthplace on the back.  The notes were suddenly withdrawn in November 2009 when North Korea instituted a 100 to 1 redenomination of their currency.  Citizens had just a week to exchange their currency, and only a very limited amount of currency could be exchanged.

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SOUTH KOREA COIN SET 

This four coin set includes the South Korean 10, 50 100 and 500 Won, dated 2016, in Uncirculated condition. The designs reflect Korea’s natural and cultural heritage. The copper-clad aluminum 10 Won shows the beautiful and historic Dabotap Pagoda. The cupro-nickel 50 Won features a rice stalk. Admiral Yi Sun-sin is on the cupro-nickel 100 Won. During the late 16th Century he repeatedly defeated Japanese invasion fleets with the use of iron-clad turtle boats and innovative tactics. A crane in flight is on the cupro-nickel 500 Won. The reverse of each coin features the denomination. 

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