Tuesday Treasure Trove - Korea

 Bank of Chosen (U.S. Army Administration)

10 Yen = 10 Won

 No Date (Printed in 1946)

Pick #43

 Bank of Chosen (Japanese Occupation of Korea)

10 Yen

No Date (Printed in 1932)

Pick #31

Bank of Chosen (Japanese Occupation of Korea)

5 Yen

No Date (Printed in 1945)

Pick #39

Hello and welcome back to Tuesday Treasure Trove!  I've just got back from my travels and wanted to show you guys some of my new additions!  The three notes that you see pictured above were all purchased for a whopping, $1.50, or 50 cents a piece.  To me, that's a steal!  Whenever I come across older Korean notes, I usually try to purchase them, it's part of my family history and they are usually cheap as almost no one is interested in them! All three of these notes comes with some history.  My grandparents from my maternal side are from Korea.  In fact I have family on both sides of the border, North and South, unfortunately I've never met, nor have ever heard from my family in the North, we presume that they are either dead or enslaved in some type of farming cooperative.  Sad story, but history is history and there's nothing that I can do to change the past, only the future. 

Anyways, enough of my ramblings, the first note that you see is pretty neat for any history buff.  It was one of the first notes of Korea following the occupation of Japan.  At the time, Korea was divided into 2 sectors, the North (Soviet Occupied) and the South (American Occupied), Korea was more of a war prize for the allies and probably one of the first places where the Cold War was noticeable.  Korea, North and South, really was not independent until the "end" of the Korean War.  I say "end" because the Korean War really isn't over, it only stopped following the signing of a cease fire and the creation of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), also known as the 38th Parallel or the "most dangerous place on Earth".  Korea was and had been a tributary or a suzerain of China for centuries, and following the Chinese dominance in the area, it was followed by Czarist Russian influence and then finally Japanese Annexation.  If you ever have a chance to go to South Korea, these notes are actually quite unpopular to the typical collector.  To many Koreans, North and South, currency from the Japanese Colonial Era bring back bad memories and trace back to a time where Koreans were mistreated by their Japanese masters.  Anyways, this note was quite neat and a great find as I do not have this one in my collection yet.

The second note is just as interesting as the rest, but this one is from the Japanese Colonial Era.  This note could've been used by my grandfather and grandmother (both of whom are alive and well to this day; 90 and 86 respectively).  It's in pretty bad shape and really not worth that much, but the collector value far outweighs its book value.  At the time this note was printed, Koreans were being sent around the Japanese Empire to work as slaves in mines, servants in the army, concubines for Japanese soldiers and the like but more noteworthy, Koreans were fighting for their independence.  Unfortunately, that independence did not come until after the Korean War, but as such, both Korea's celebrate 1 holiday together, March 1st, also known as Sam-Il-Ja in Korean, or the Independence Day Movement of 1919.  

Finally, another note, this time a 5 yen note, printed in the last year of Japanese Occupation.  I saw this one and thought it was great, especially the note on the back that says "this is fifty cents in Korea".  It probably was fifty cents at the time, and the guy that wrote it was probably an American Missionary.  The American Missionaries were vital to creating a foundation for what Korea is today.  Although I don't really appreciate it when someone tries to force their religion on me, the missionaries created hospitals, universities and schools which were the backbone of creating an independent Korea.  For purchasing it for only 50 cents, when the note is worth more around $10, it was a great find and a great addition to my collection of Korean notes!

Happy Tuesday Treasure Trove!