Sang P'yong T'ong Bo
5 Mun seed coin

Vladimir Belyaev
November 28, 1998
Obverse: Sang P'yong T'ong Bo
pink covering in the field

Reverse: Kyun Tang O O
Kyun - Kyunyokchong - Government Tithe Office
Tang - Equal to
O - five
blue covering in the field

Weight 7.3 g
Diameter: 32.7 mm

Korean 5 Mun seed coin, issued by Government Tithe Office in 1883, Mandel number 15.11A.5.
Robert Tye described coin as officially clipped.
Message from Steve Young (06-Dec-98):
    Any seed above the value "one" ones are rare. The clip was put there as though it was probably used as a decorative charm or part of a bigger charm combination. That's a shame someone messed up such a rare coin. I also think it is a charm since there is colored enamel still attached to the obverse and reverse. Thats just my opinion. Whether or not the clip was done at the mint, there's no way to know. As clean as the cut is, it could've been done at the mint, but I don't know. With Korean stuff, you just never know.
Message from Don Pfeifer (02-Jan-99):
    I agree with everything that Steve Young says about this coin but I would like to add one small bit of information.
    That clip at the top is meant to represent a bat. The Korean word for "bat" (Pok) is a homophone for the word "happiness". If you look in Mandels book on Korean Amulets, you will find several different examples of this. Look at #94.12, #94.13, and #94.14.
    The "O O" or Five Five is a reference to Tano Day. It is one of the largest holidays in traditional Korea. It is held on the fifth day of the fifth month. On this day it was traditional to post paper amulets at the gate to your house. These were normally written in red ink. Also a red seal on a piece of paper was believed to ward off evil spirits.
    Another custom during Tano Day was to give Fans to friends. It is my own belief that Korean amulets shaped like fans were probably given out on this day, but I have not proof for this. See Mandel amulet book, amulets #39.1 through #39.8 (page 23) and amulet #43.3 (page 25).
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