“Specimen” Counter-marked South Korean Coins There are the occasional South Korean coin found in the collector market with countermarks in the form of the Korean hangul lettering, “견 양 (kyeon yang),” meaning “specimen.” A number of South Korean coins have appeared in numismatic markets worldwide with these specimen markings ever since these coins were first issued in 1959. The meager literature on the subject of specimen-marked South Korean coins offers a couple of different explanations as to why some of these coins were countermarked. One explanation for the “견 양” counter-marked coins is given in Joseph E. Boling’s 1988 World Coins article in which Boling claims that according to Korean law, the nation’s currency and coins could not be exported to foreign coin collectors without these markings. Another explanation is given in the “Korea-South” listing in the Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000, which states that the counter-marked coins were prepared for government and banking agencies. I have heard from former South Korean engraver and Korean Mint executive, Oh Soonhwan, that the markings indicate that the pieces were produced for official review and that they manifest the government’s final chosen design and specifications for that coin, and is therefore marked “specimen.” This coin is one of the LAST South Korean counter-marked specimens. Issued in 1981, this "Inauguration of the Fifth Republic" commemorative features countermarking that APPEARS to have been struck onto the reverse DIE, not the coin, like all previous specimens. After 1981, South Korean specimen markings appeared in relief as a part of the design, and not just counter-marked with handheld punches (either on the dies or the coins). In numismatic markets in the 2010s, specimen-marked Korean coins have often been valued at the equivalent of hundreds of dollars over the price of unmarked coins in the same grades. Regardless of the origin of these countermarked “specimen” coins, it is rather concerning that someone without a specimen-marked coin could solve that problem with the use of a hammer, the two requisite hangeul letter punches, and an unmarked South Korean coin. Authentication, if not a provenance, is recommended for collectors wishing to add South Korean coins countermarked as specimens to their collections.
Interesting, @mlov43. I have never seen those words or characters on a ROK coin; I was unaware they existed for ROK. Thanks for opening my eyes! As for DPRK coins, I have seen those words on three coins. I thought at first it meant the coins were fakes. That is, that the coins were copies made for collectors. As for how I obtained the coins below, my son's girlfriend is Korean. When she learned of my coin addiction, she asked her dad, who lives in or near Seoul, to see if he could get me me some DPRK coins since I had none at the time. He purchased them in one of those underground shops all over Seoul, where one catches the light rail. Subway? All that to say that Numista listing my DPRK "specimen" coins as specimens, and your write up here, has increased my confidence of the authenticity of my DPRK specimens. I in no way mean to highjack your post by posting one or two. It's just that you seem much more knowledgeable than I would appreciate your feedback and thoughts.
I would be the last person to complain about "hijacking a thread," which I think is one of the dumbest accusations about a harmless activity that people actually get angry about(!) at online forums. Oftentimes, "hijacking" steers the conversation to more interesting, related topics, much as yours has. So thank you for hijacking! And anyone reading this who is triggered by my opinion on hijacking: "Phhttthhpp!" "견 본 (kyeon bohn)" is just the DPRK version of the same meaning: "specimen." I don't know much about DPRK coins, as they are not my focus, nor do I think that North Korean "coins" actually function much as coins, rather more as expensive curios that make their regime money (which I am not much interested in doing, but I don't judge others who do). I once found some DPRK banknotes for sale at Seoul Tower in 1995. The very next week, I read a newspaper article that some taxi driver received a North Korean 10-Won note in a fare and he reported it to the police. Well, that same note was for sale in the Seoul Tower gift shop, which I thought was funny. Yes, the Metro is the Seoul tube, or subway system, which also runs "above ground" in sections, too. I once read that DPRK coins (including specimens) are not minted in the DPRK, but in China. Only their gold and silver commems that they sell overseas are made in the DPRK (state-owned company: Korea Pugang Coins Corp.) Are your coins authentic? My answer to that is, I don't know. I'm inclined to give a more snarky response, "Who would bother to counterfeit them?," but lots of coins are counterfeited, so it's always possible. DPRK specimens MAY be made in large numbers for sale outside of the country. You'd have to ask someone more knowledgeable about these coins than me, though. Thanks for sharing!
You had me laughing out loud all the way through your post, mlov43! Thank you. I needed a good laugh. Just short replies. Yeah, I agree. Many folks seem to like to get angry and complain. I'm unsure if that's due to boredom or a severe lack of real problems in one's life. Or if it's an ego issue. I would have to agree with your take on DPRK coinage. I would think that the DPRK's take in seigniorage of anything they 'approve' is staggering, no matter who produces the stuff for them. Be it the Franklin Mint (hypothetically) or one of China's mints. In addition, I admit to some very serious ignorance of the use of coinage or currency in the DPRK's domestic economy. I suspect it is only a shadow of what we (or I) would think in comparison to just about any other sovereign state's domestic usage or economy. LOL! Yep, that's right. Who the heck would bother to counterfeit them. As a card carrying cynic, I assume that there are people (me included) who want a DPRK coin. I realize I am not so very unique. Thus, there is a market for DPRK coins. Therefore, someone will likely create fakes to sell to fools like me if there is money to be made. Finally, thanks for pointing out "yang" versus "bohn." I can read Hangul (i.e., say the sound) but I most often cannot attach any meaning to the sound. Unless it's simply an English word spelled with the Korean alphabet.
Again, thanks for hijacking the thread, because now I'm investigating the Chinese Characters for 견양(見樣) and 견본(見本) to see why Koreans use 양 yang versus 본 bohn. Kyeon 見 is the common part of both words. It means "to behold" or "perceive." Bohn 本 is translated as "root, or stem." Yang 樣 is translated as "manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type." After some searching online in Korean, it seems that a 견양(見樣) indicates that a piece is still in the working state (before final approval of the issuer), whereas 견본 (見本) indicates that the coin is a model that is presented to the world as an example after the above process is completed (approval by the issuer is finished). That sort of makes sense, since your 견본 specimen coin is (probably) pretty common and the DPRK govt. marks them this way to denote their use as sales items to foreigners, and not as currency to be used in the country. Maybe... However, I think it may also just be a naming convention (a name assigned with no specific reason) that determines what the DPRK uses versus the ROK. What's the right answer? Like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop: The world may never know...
I am under the impression that Pugang is not active. Their website no longer exist. Before ebay blocked the sales of N Korea coins, there were a wide array of N Korea coins and had certificates from Switzerland and Germany (if I recall correctly). These were some earlier issues struck in China but I think the later issues were struck in private mints in Europe. Considering that Kim Jong Un studied in Switzerland, there might be some connections there?
