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500 Won Palette Surgeonfish
| Issuer | Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 31.105 g |
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| Obverse description | The national arms of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea occupy the central field, depicting a hydroelectric power station set against a mountain landscape, framed by sheaves of grain and surmounted by a five-pointed star radiating rays of light. The Hangul legend reading the full name of the Central Bank of the DPRK curves along the upper periphery. The denomination '500 WON' and date '1996' appear in the lower field, flanked by sprigs of foliage, with the purity and weight inscriptions '1 OZ 999' positioned to either side of the arms. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
North Korea's hard currency commemorative program of the 1990s was never intended for domestic circulation — these coins were produced explicitly to earn foreign exchange, sold through government-controlled outlets to overseas collectors while the country was in the grip of a famine that killed an estimated 600,000 to one million people. The palette surgeonfish, a Pacific reef species, has no particular connection to North Korean waters or fisheries policy.
KM#523 is part of a broader marine life series from this period, struck to .999 fineness at a time when the DPRK mint was actively courting the international numismatic market through intermediaries in Macau and Germany.