Item number: A2727

Year: AD 1893

Material: Silver

Size: 22.5 x 22.5 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 5.25 g

Manufactured by: Incheon Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is a one-yang silver coin issued in AD 1893 by the Joseon Dynasty under the Yi royal house, with its dimensions and weight conforming to the international coinage standards of the period.

The obverse of the coin features a beaded circle enclosing a pair of three-clawed flying dragons, arranged head-to-tail and facing each other. Due to the passage of time, the finer details of the dragons have become indistinct. Along the lower edge outside the beaded circle, the issuing year is inscribed in Chinese characters as “開國五百二年” (the 502nd year of the founding of the nation), which corresponds to AD 1893. This era notation was calculated from the founding of the Joseon Dynasty in AD 1392.

In AD 1894, following the defeat of its suzerain state, the Qing Empire, Joseon formally adopted the “Founding of the Nation” era system in place of the Qing imperial reign titles for official dating, a practise that continued until the proclamation of the Korean Empire in AD 1897.

Along the upper edge of the coin’s reverse, from left to right, are the inscriptions of the denomination in Hangul as “한량” (one yang), in English as “1 YANG,” and in Chinese characters as “朝鮮” (Joseon). In AD 1889, coins issued by the Joseon Dynasty bore the national title “大朝鮮” (Great Joseon) on their obverse. However, this usage was opposed by Yuan Shikai, the Qing Empire’s Imperial Resident Minister in Korea. As a result, between AD 1890 and AD 1895, the title “Great” (大) was removed from the country name on coinage.

At the centre of the coin’s reverse, the denomination “一兩” (one yang) is inscribed in Chinese characters. Flanking the denomination are decorative sprigs of Hibiscus syriacus (mugunghwa) and plum blossoms, while at the top is a plum blossom, which served as a national emblem of the Joseon Dynasty.

物件編號: A2727

年代: 公元 1893 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 22.5 x 22.5 x 1.2 mm

重量: 5.25 g

製造地: 仁川典局

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元1893年，李氏朝鮮發行之面額一兩的銀幣，尺寸與重量有符合當時國際硬幣製造的標準。

錢幣正面有一道珠圈，正中央是一對頭尾相接，互相對視的三爪飛龍，由於年代久遠，飛龍的細節不甚清楚。珠圈外圍的下緣以漢字打印發行紀年「開國五百二年」換算為公元1893年。開國紀年以李氏朝鮮建立的公元1392年開始計算，公元1894年，隨著宗主國清帝國戰敗，開國紀年取代清帝年號成為朝鮮計年的單位，直到公元1897年更改為大韓帝國為止。

錢幣上緣從左至右，依序標示韓文「한량」(一兩)、英文「1 YANG」(一兩) 和漢字「朝鮮」。公元1889年，李氏朝鮮鑄造的錢幣正面使用的國號為「大朝鮮」，但是受到宗主國清帝國派駐朝鮮的通商大臣袁世凱反對，公元1890至1895年間的國號便移除「大」的頭銜。

錢幣背面的正中央以漢字打印面額「一兩」，左右兩側以木槿(無窮花) 和李花枝條作為裝飾，正上方則是作為國家象徵的李花。