Korea - 100 Mun, 1866 - 1867

Korean Treasury Department (Ho Jo). This is bronze but others can be found in copper. There are about 49 varieties of these and the differences would be very hard for an untrained Westerner to discern. Diameter in KM varies between 39 - 40 mm. This one is a tad over 40mm. KM lists weight as 24 gm; being cast with different metals and varieties you can expect a noticeable variance. This one is around 25.8 gm. Values based upon these varieties can be up to x4 the value for a common example. ND (1866). This larger inflated issue is contemporary with the inflationary large cash of China and Okinawa. I do know these were counterfeited at the time (private issues to take advantage of the inflated value). I'll post more on these as info is available.
Sang P'yong T'ong Bo, Hojo Treasury Department
Korea, ca 1866. Obverse Image: Four Chinese characters read top, bottom, right, left Obverse Text: Romanization: SANG / P'YONG / T'ONG / BO (Translation: Always Even Currency). Reverse Image: Character for Hojo Treasury Department at top, denomination read right, left, bottom. Reverse Text: Romanization: HO / TANG / BAE / CHON (Translation: Character for Hojo Treasury Department, worth one hundred).

This is a One Hundred Mun ("Value Hundred" tangbaekchon or dangbaekjun [sang pyong tong bo] coin.
The One Hundred Mun is the only denomination of sang pyong tong bo coinage for which accurate mint records exist. These coins were first cast by the Treasury Department on December 12, 1866 and put into circulation beginning January 15, 1867. The last coin was produced on June 16, 1867 which means these coins were cast for only 172 days. A total of 1,784,038 "One Hundred Mun" coins were cast by the government.
In general the One Hundred Mun coins minted by the government have a diameter of 40.6 mm, a thickness of 2.8 mm and a weight of 25.1 grams. The vast majority I've seen are cast in copper or bronze, sometimes the alloy is such that the coin appears as a brass like alloy. This authentic piece appears more brass than my 15+ other examples. There are about 50 varieties of the 100 Mun coins with differences so slight (character stroke style, size, etc) it is hard for a Westerner to discern. All illustrations of these, even in current Korean books are still rubbings, making it even more difficult to discern varieties. See my other examples here in the Moneta Museum.

VIEW & DOWNLOAD Korean Coin and Charm Articles:
A Survey of Korean Coins - Joseph E. Boling: [ link ]
Korean Charms and Amulets - Starr
[ link ]
German Coin Techniques in Korea - Won Yu-Han
[ link ]
Rulers of Korea
[ link ]
Picture Album of 100 Korean Amulets
[ link ]