South Korea

What was the mintage of 100 Hwan from 1959 and how many melted? Thanks.

"What was the mintage of 100 Hwan from 1959 and how many melted? Thanks."

Reply to Monarch:
From my Korean-language sources (which aren't the most accurate), the 1959 (Korean Year: 4292) mintage alone was 50,000,000 (50 Million) for the 100Hwan coin. I don't have any information on the total NUMBER of 1959 100Hwan coins that were melted, only that 315 Metric Tons of the withdrawn coins were melted, the metal set aside, then later used to make the rolled NiCupro sheet-metal out of which the 100 Won coins were punched in 1970 (and later dates, I'm assuming). Basically, the Bank of Korea tried to withdraw all of the 100 Hwan coins they could. Clearly, many ended up in collectors' hands.

Your question is an EXCELLENT one! Really, how many of these coins exist now, and in WHAT is their average CONDITION? If only I knew! My guess is that there are fewer than most people realize. With South Korean coins, the low prices that these coins go for is probably due to LOW DEMAND. Many older S. Korean coins are probably more scarce than most collectors think.