Sometimes it pays to buy low grade coins: Korea 5 fun

Started by gxseries, July 27, 2013, 07:44:54 PM

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gxseries

Yes, the denomination is "fun" and it's fun to find when something like this pops up.

This coin is a Korean 1902 5 fun.



I wasn't really looking seriously and by chance saw this for sale. It wasn't too terribly expensive and I thought what do I have to lose.



For some reason I thought it looked different from mine and sure enough, what got me is the font thickness difference in the character "6" for "kwangmu 6th year". It's on the lower right leg.

Turns out the original one that I had could be scarcer than I could have thought of.

BUT

As you might guess, this coin has an interesting rotation error. Rotation error of up to 15 degrees is common but this is pretty unusual.

I guess the moral of the story is, just because it's crusty and low grade doesn't necessary mean that it's worthless. You might find something unusual while you are at it.

<k>

Are these dragons? Or are they some other kind of traditional mythical beast?
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

Figleaf

Asian dragons, I think. Symbol of imperial power.

The whitish stuff on your new purchase looks like mould to me. If so, you can treat it with a mould killer, followed immediately by rinsing it with plenty of clean water (repeat if necessary) and a prolonged bath in olive oil. What is worn will remain worn, of course, but the crust is in the way and removable.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

<k>

Quote from: Figleaf on July 28, 2013, 12:38:05 PM
Asian dragons, I think. Symbol of imperial power.

Peter

Yes - I should have checked the Dragons topic - the coin is already in there.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

gxseries

Hi Peter,

Tried to get it off with acetone but that's the best that I could do. Still quite happy with it.

Figleaf

acetone is fine for removing chemicals, but it doesn't do much with biological material. I am sure you can do better than this.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.