South Korea KE4292 50 hwan
This specimen was lot 1343 in Stephen Album sale 45 (Santa Rosa, CA, January 2023), where it sold for $1,800. The catalog description[1] noted, "KOREA (SOUTH): Republic, 50 hwan, KE4292 (1959), countermarked gyeon yang (sample) in Hangul characters, PCGS graded MS64, RR. First issued on October 10, 1959 and struck by the US Mint in Philadelphia, small numbers of KM-1, 2 and 3 dated KE4292 in uncirculated condition were countermarked 'SAMPLE' in Korean for distribution to government and banking agencies. See bank samples section at end of listing. KM-3 was withdrawn from circulation June 10, 1962, and melted; KM-1 and KM-2 continued to circulate as 1 won and 5 won coins for 13 years, respectively, until demonetized and withdrawn from circulation March 22, 1975." The plate coin in the SCWC also shows the countermark depicted here. This type was also struck in 1961.
Recorded mintage: 25,000,000 plus 20,000,000 more dated KE4294.
Specification: 3.69 g, nickel-brass, 22.86 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-2.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 45, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2022.
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