The 1886 Joseon coinage program was initiated under pressure from the Meiji-era Japanese advisors and competing Chinese interests both vying for influence over the peninsula's modernizing monetary system. King Gojong's government contracted with the Osaka Mint to produce pattern pieces that year, with this gold-plated copper example among the experimental strikes testing proposed denominations and formats before a formal currency law was enacted. The Royal Mint of Joseon had not yet reached operational capacity for independent production.
KM#Pn18 designation confirms this as a pattern, not a circulation issue — it never entered commerce.
The 1886 Joseon coinage program was initiated under pressure from the Meiji-era Japanese advisors and competing Chinese interests both vying for influence over the peninsula's modernizing monetary system. King Gojong's government contracted with the Osaka Mint to produce pattern pieces that year, with this gold-plated copper example among the experimental strikes testing proposed denominations and formats before a formal currency law was enacted. The Royal Mint of Joseon had not yet reached operational capacity for independent production.
KM#Pn18 designation confirms this as a pattern, not a circulation issue — it never entered commerce.