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500 Won 30th Anniversary of Gorch Fock
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Won |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A detailed depiction of the German sail training ship Gorch Fock II, a three-masted barque shown under full sail on open seas, occupies the central field. The rigging, billowing sails, and hull are rendered with fine detail, conveying the vessel's imposing profile as it moves through stylised waves. The commemorative legend 30 th Anniversary of the 'Gorch Fock' curves along the upper periphery in Latin script. In the lower field, the date range 1958-1988 appears above the denomination 500 WON, both in raised lettering. |
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| Reverse lettering | 30 th Anniversary of the 'Gorch Fock' 1958-1988 500 WON |
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| Additional information |
The Gorch Fock II is a West German naval training barque — still operated by the Bundesmarine in 1988 — making this North Korean commemorative one of the more politically improbable coins of the Cold War period. Pyongyang issued a series of hard-currency collector pieces throughout the 1980s explicitly for foreign exchange, with no domestic circulation intended. This piece marks the vessel's 1958 commissioning, thirty years prior.
The Kahle reference designation confirms this as one of multiple Gorch Fock variants catalogued under the 1988 issue year.