KOREA, Joseon dynasty. Æ Cash “Mother Coin” (25mm, 3.97 g, 12h). Military Training Command (Hullyondogam) mint. Cast 1832. Near EF.

Electronic Auction 552
Lot: 760. Estimated: $ 100

World, Bronze

Sold For $ 80. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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KOREA, Joseon dynasty. Æ Cash “Mother Coin” (25mm, 3.97 g, 12h). Military Training Command (Hullyondogam) mint. Cast 1832. Sang Pyong Tong Bao in Hanja characters / Hun above central hole, Saeng below, Sam to left. Hartill, Korea 28.20.3; Mandell 18.329; KM 470.3. Brown surfaces with red paint, a few scratches. Near EF.

From the St. George Collection. Ex Album 23 (10 September 2015), lot 2142.

Regarding the red paint, Hartill notes: “Some Korean collectors had the habit of filling the depressed parts of (some of?) their coins with bright contrasting paint, so that the characters stood out more prominently. This is perhaps purely a matter of personal preference. In particular mother coins and pieces of high quality were decorated this way. Another possibility is that painted coins were used as amulets. Old coloured coins are priced somewhat higher in auctions.” (Hartill, Korea p. 54)

Closing Date and Time: 13 December 2023 at 14:13:00 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.