2 Mun Ham

Cast — not struck — at the Hunjangsa temple mint in Seoul, this issue is one of several Buddhist institution mints authorized by the Joseon court during the 18th century as a stopgap measure to address chronic copper shortages plaguing state minting facilities. The "Ham" in the denomination designation identifies the specific furnace series. These pieces circulated alongside issues from dozens of competing government and quasi-government mints simultaneously active during this decade, a monetary fragmentation that made counterfeiting almost impossible to police.