5 Mun Ch'ang Small Type

The "Small Type" designation distinguishes this issue from the larger 5 mun pieces introduced as Joseon made fitful attempts to stabilize a coinage system under mounting fiscal pressure from Japanese commercial penetration and internal reform demands. By 1887, the Joseon mint at Chŏnhwan'guk — established only two years earlier with Japanese technical assistance — was still calibrating production, which accounts for the dimensional variation collectors now use to differentiate die families within the series.