Foreign Coins Made at the Philadelphia Mint 0

[mlovmo]

In my research on South Korean coins, I found out what the coin bags looked like that the Philadelphia Mint sent to Korea in 1959.

I found this video of the first shipments of the "Hwan" denominated coins (since demonetized) to South Korea in October/November 1959.

The bags are quite simple and unadorned.  They also contain a huge number of coins (10,000!) compared to later Korean Mint bags of coins, which normally carried a total of 2,500 coins in "large" bags which each contained five
"small bags" of 500 coins each.  I include an image of one of the first types of Korean Mint coin bags from 1966, the first year that the Korean mint struck their own coins.

Here is what the Philadelphia mint sent to Korea. 

If you look carefully, the text on these bags reads: 

  10,000
10 HWAN
  KOREA
—————
    4292

The "4292" is the Korean-era date for "1959."

I always wondered what the U.S. Mint's bags and packaging looked like when they sent coins out in fulfillment of a contract.

I also include an image of the future president of the country (then military junta leader) Park Chung-hee inspecting stacked boxes of Philadelphia-made 50-Hwan coins in vaults of the Bank of Korea building in Seoul sometime in late 1961 or early 1962, just before the currency reform which resulted in the nation switching from the "hwan" to the "won" denomination.

I think the stenciled labels on these boxes read:
50 HWAN
12,000 PCS.
GR. WT. 108 LBS.

 

 

[RWB]

The sacks are consistent with canvas duck bags used by US Mints ans Treasury Dept.

There is considerable information on these and other foreign coin projects in NARA archives at College Park, Md.

[mlovmo]

On 3/21/2023 at 9:07 AM, RWB said:

The sacks are consistent with canvas duck bags used by US Mints ans Treasury Dept.

There is considerable information on these and other foreign coin projects in NARA archives at College Park, Md.

Oh thanks!  For the foreign coining contracts, would you know the name and number of the Record Group and more precise location at the archives?  I've hired local researchers at College Park to retrieve documents for me before when I researched an unrelated topic years ago... Perhaps I can do that again.

[RWB]

FINDING AID : A1 ENTRY #: 328-F SEC CLASS: Unclassified ARC ID#: 20014506
TITLE: Case Files on Foreign Coins [Central Files] 1874 1980

CONTEXT INFORMATION: Department of the Treasury. Bureau of the Mint. Office of the Director.
A2 : 00450 : 067/006 /06 - 067/006 /07
6 FRC Carton, Standard (15 x 12.25 x 10 1/8) CONTAINER #s: 1 - 6
A2 : 00450 : 067/007 /01 - 067/007 /04 [this is the locator number for Entry 328-F]
11 FRC Carton, Standard (15 x 12.25 x 10 1/8) CONTAINER #s: 7 - 17
TOTAL CUBIC FEET: 18.308999999999997 TOTAL LINEAR FEET: 17.3541667
Transactions:NN3-104-91-002; 104-83-0020.

Box 01 Has a lot of general information divided into about 20 folders. This includes authorization legislation, mint requirements for obtaining metal, etc.

Box 02 and later have projects in alphabetical order by country name.

Box 10

Jamaica
Japan General 1933-1969
Japan General 1951-1969
Japanese Mint Officials' Visit-1969
Japanese Mint, Request, US Coins 1953-1954
Japanese Mint, Nickel-Silver Coins, Sale to Mints 1953
Jordan
Kenya
Kinshasa
Korea (Proof Coins)
Korea 1960-1963
Korea Mint~ Establishment of New Coinage System and Coinage
Kuwait General 1971
Kuwait General 1948
Latvian Coinage 1967
Latvian Coinage 1922-1923
Lebanon General 1952
Lebanon General 1950-1952

Edited March 22, 2023 by RWB

[GoldFinger1969]

The more established Mints will often strike special coins for other countries, right ?  I presume that the smaller country helps design the dies and the country with the Mint does the striking.

I believe the Italian Mint does all the Vatican gold coins.

[mlovmo]

I think I've found it!

Edited March 22, 2023 by mlovmo

[mlovmo]

On 3/21/2023 at 9:21 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

The more established Mints will often strike special coins for other countries, right ?  I presume that the smaller country helps design the dies and the country with the Mint does the striking.

I believe the Italian Mint does all the Vatican gold coins.

Yes, Korean Mint designers had likely provided the designs, but all subsequent steps in the minting process took place in Philadelphia.

Only secondary sources list the designers' names for these coins.  The Korean Mint and its overseer, the Bank of Korea, refuse to provide the names, or reveal documents that show the names of the people who designed their coins from official or internal documents.  It was only after former designers and engravers have revealed the names in books and articles that they've written did these names emerge, much against the wishes of the central bank (the Bank of Korea).  The Koreans hold onto the idea that these works (designs, engravings) are "works of the state" and that no names be attached to them.  That's why the only artist's initials you'll ever see on any South Korean coin, EVER, is "EvH" for US Mint engraver, Engelhardus von Hebel, found on the 100-Hwan coin.  

All of this is explained in my book.

[RWB]

On 3/22/2023 at 9:13 AM, mlovmo said:

I think I've found it!

 

Yes. That's RG 104, Entry 328-F. There is nothing useful on-line - so you'll have to have someone go to College Park and copy the files. The finding aid does not have details of contents or page count for each folder in Box 10, but many have about 100 pages per folder. Pages are usually in reverse chronological order.

Edited March 22, 2023 by RWB