Standalone Korea Coin Encyclopedia
Joseon Coinage
Joseon coinage is organized around authority, casting institutions, value classes, and monetary change rather than a flat date list.
한국 화폐 · 韓國貨幣
- Historical periods
- 10
- Authorities
- 9
- Monetary systems
- 9
- Publication
- Published
Historical architecture
One shared history, two modern state branches
Premodern and Korean Empire objects remain part of shared Korean history. After 1945, Republic of Korea and DPRK authorities, systems, denominations, and issue evidence are never merged.
| Period | Korean | Dates | Catalog branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancient and Three Kingdoms contexts | 고대와 삼국 시대 | Earlier–935 | /korea-coins/periods |
| Goryeo | 고려 | 918–1392 | /korea-coins/goryeo |
| Joseon | 조선 | 1392–1897 | /korea-coins/joseon |
| Korean Empire | 대한제국 | 1897–1910 | /korea-coins/korean-empire |
| Japanese colonial period | 일제강점기 | 1910–1945 | /korea-coins/japanese-colonial-period |
| Liberation and division | 광복과 분단 | 1945–1948 | /korea-coins/liberation-and-division |
| Republic of Korea: first won | 대한민국 제1차 원 | 1949–1953 | /korea-coins/south-korea/first-won |
| Republic of Korea: hwan | 대한민국 환 | 1953–1962 | /korea-coins/south-korea/hwan |
| Republic of Korea: second won | 대한민국 제2차 원 | 1962–present | /korea-coins/south-korea/second-won |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 조선민주주의인민공화국 | 1947–present | /korea-coins/north-korea |
Object form
Manufacture changes the evidence
Cast square-holed cash, formed silver money, machine-struck coins, and foreign hosts require different attribution and grading methods.
| Form | Korean | Geometry | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round cast coin with square hole | 원형 방공 주화 | round-square-hole | cast |
| Round machine-struck coin | 원형 압인 주화 | round | struck |
| Silver bottle money | 은병 | vessel-shaped | cast-or-formed |
| Foreign host coin used in Korea | 외국 주화 | host-preserved | various |
Continue browsing
Related Korea encyclopedia routes
All routes retain independent evidence and publication gates.
A standalone, source-led catalog of Korean coinage from early money and cast cash through empire, colonial disruption, division, and the separate modern currencies of South and North Korea.
periods Korean Coinage by Historical PeriodA chronological browser that keeps shared Korean history and post-1945 state branches explicit.
denominations Korean Coin DenominationsMun, pun, jeon, yang, hwan, and won are tied to their own monetary systems instead of flattened into one value ladder.
coin forms Korean Coin Forms and ManufactureCast square-holed cash, formed silver money, foreign hosts, and machine-struck coins require different identification methods.
systems Korean Monetary SystemsA relationship map of units, issuing authorities, reforms, and transitions without treating every object used in Korea as a Korean issue.
foreign coins Foreign Coins Used in KoreaChinese cash, trade silver, and Japanese metropolitan coins retain their host identities while their Korean circulation is documented as a relationship.
goryeo Goryeo CoinageA cautious overview of court coin experiments, inscribed cash, silver bottle money, and the continuing role of commodity and foreign money.
colonial transition Japanese Colonial Monetary Disruption in KoreaA Korean-canonical transition page distinguishing Japanese political control, Bank of Chosen notes, Japanese metropolitan coins, and surviving Korean Empire money.
liberation Liberation, Currency Transition, and DivisionA transition map from the end of colonial rule to separate South and North Korean authorities and currencies.
north korea North Korean CoinageA conservative DPRK catalog foundation that separates verified state currency from uncertain commercial and collector issues.
date guide Korean Coin Date and Inscription GuideRead Hangul, Hanja, Gwangmu, Yunghui, Gregorian, and Juche inscriptions without forcing one dating system across every Korean coin.
Sources
Institutional evidence for this page
Source links support the stated scope; they do not license unsourced varieties, market values, or image reuse beyond recorded terms.
Sangpyeong Tongbo and Joseon monetary circulation
national-history-institution · 2026-07-31
Open sourceUnknown dates, mintages, annual manufacturing, attributions, legal status, and image identity remain unavailable. They never become zero or a confident claim. No market prices are published in this foundation.