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5 Chon Specimen
| Issuer | North Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1959 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Aluminium |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The national coat of arms of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea occupies the central field, depicting a hydroelectric dam and power lines beneath a radiant five-pointed star, framed by sheaves of rice bound with a ribbon at the base and flanked by stylized floral sprigs. The state name legend in Hangul script, reading 조선민주주의인민공화국, arcs around the upper periphery. The date 1959 appears in the lower exergual area beneath the coat of arms. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The large numeral '5' dominates the central field, with the denomination legend '전' (Chon) inscribed in Hangul directly below it. The Hangul characters '견' (specimen) and '본' (sample) flank the numeral to the left and right respectively, indicating the specimen nature of this piece. The entire design is enclosed within a decorative geometric border of interlocking meander or key-fret motifs running around the full inner circumference of the coin. |
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| Additional information |
North Korea's earliest aluminum coinage, introduced in 1959, coincided with the post-Korean War reconstruction period when the DPRK was heavily dependent on Soviet and Chinese material aid. Specimen strikes from this era were produced almost exclusively for diplomatic distribution and collector sets sent to foreign socialist states — ordinary citizens had little access to such pieces, and domestic circulation of these small denominations was itself erratic given chronic shortages in the state-controlled economy.
The 18mm aluminum format mirrors Soviet small-denomination practice of the same period, a direct influence of Soviet technical advisors present in Pyongyang's minting operations through the late 1950s.