Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3037 Sess. 2-4 5 January 2015
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Korea
Japanese Protectorate. Kuang Mu gold 20 Won Year 10 (1906) MS64 NGC, Osaka mint, KM1131, Fr-1, JV-AD1. A phenomenal offering with exceptional brilliance and outstanding design motifs. The obverse features a stylistic dragon within a dotted circle, clutching the pearl of celestial wisdom and the reverse depicts the imperial seal of Korea atop the vertical denomination, surrounded by wreaths of intertwined flowers and leaves. This specimen presents impeccably raised detail atop silky surfaces the shade of pure honey and nearly pristine fields, save for a few, unremarkable reverse ticks. An incredibly scarce, one-year type with a modest, original mintage of 2,506 pieces, of which only a fraction of that number are thought to still exist. Ex. Eliasberg Collection.King Kojong assumed the title of Emperor Kuang Mu in 1897 and struggled to preserve Korea's independence during a tumultuous time in history when Korea faced successive threats by China, Russia, and Japan. Predating this was the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) when the Qing Dynasty of China and the Meiji of Japan were warring for dominance over Korea and, subsequently, East Asia. Japan prevailed and the loss had devastating consequences in China that would culminate with the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. However, Japan's position was almost immediately threatened by Russian influence which lasted until the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), at which time Japan established a direct protectorate over Korea.During the protectorate era, the Won coins of Korea displayed the representative Japanese dragon motif and were struck in Osaka to the Japanese standard. As for the gold coins, the 5, 10, and 20 Won appeared just before Korea's independence was extinguished. Since almost all of the gold coins were melted after Korea was annexed to Japan in 1910, the exact number of surviving examples is unknown, but thought to be extremely small in number.
Estimate: 130000-160000 USD
Japanese Protectorate. Kuang Mu gold 20 Won Year 10 (1906) MS64 NGC, Osaka mint, KM1131, Fr-1, JV-AD1. A phenomenal offering with exceptional brilliance and outstanding design motifs. The obverse features a stylistic dragon within a dotted circle, clutching the pearl of celestial wisdom and the reverse depicts the imperial seal of Korea atop the vertical denomination, surrounded by wreaths of intertwined flowers and leaves. This specimen presents impeccably raised detail atop silky surfaces the shade of pure honey and nearly pristine fields, save for a few, unremarkable reverse ticks. An incredibly scarce, one-year type with a modest, original mintage of 2,506 pieces, of which only a fraction of that number are thought to still exist. Ex. Eliasberg Collection.King Kojong assumed the title of Emperor Kuang Mu in 1897 and struggled to preserve Korea's independence during a tumultuous time in history when Korea faced successive threats by China, Russia, and Japan. Predating this was the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) when the Qing Dynasty of China and the Meiji of Japan were warring for dominance over Korea and, subsequently, East Asia. Japan prevailed and the loss had devastating consequences in China that would culminate with the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. However, Japan's position was almost immediately threatened by Russian influence which lasted until the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), at which time Japan established a direct protectorate over Korea.During the protectorate era, the Won coins of Korea displayed the representative Japanese dragon motif and were struck in Osaka to the Japanese standard. As for the gold coins, the 5, 10, and 20 Won appeared just before Korea's independence was extinguished. Since almost all of the gold coins were melted after Korea was annexed to Japan in 1910, the exact number of surviving examples is unknown, but thought to be extremely small in number.
Estimate: 130000-160000 USD