South Korean Silver Coins

Silver South Korean Medals

When it comes to buying silver, modern collectors and investors have more choices than ever before. Silver and gold coin programs are available from sovereign mints around the world, while silver rounds, gold and silver bars, and a host of other silver products are constantly produced to meet the demand for collectible and investment-grade silver. Among the newer options you’ll find is the Silver South Korean Chiwoo Cheonwang Medal from KOMSCO.

The Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang Medal is like many other coins released by a national entity in that it features designs based upon images that are culturally or nationally significant to a group of people. In this case, the legendary Chiwoo Cheonwang is the focus of the annual-release program that launched in 2016. This brilliant silver bullion series is now available to you online at Silver.com, so take a moment to learn more about this exciting offering!

Background on KOMSCO

KOMSCO, known formally as the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation, was founded through full investment from the National Treasure of South Korea under a special law enacted in 1951. Today, the mint is the sole currency manufacturer for the Republic of Korea, and it operates under the direct control of the government in Seoul.

The primary function of KOMSCO is to manufacture banknotes, coins, national bonds, and various other securities issued by the government of South Korea. Additional services included the manufacture of currency safety bonds issued by the Bank of Korea, postage stamps, special government certificates, and any other special printed items for the government.

The mint operates a highly sophisticated facility in Daejeon, South Korea, where it places high priority on research and development, as well as innovation and evolution in security technology. The Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang medal is just one of the many brilliant products manufactured by KOMSCO on an annual basis.

The New Chiwoo Cheonwang Series

KOMSCO first released the Chiwoo Cheonwang silver medal in 2016 with a mintage of 30,000 coins, and bumped that mintage up to 50,000 for the 2017 release in the face of immense demand for this unique silver coin for sale. While that is an increase of 20,000 coins, roughly half the mintage sold out when the coin went on pre-sale with KOMSCO.

KOMSCO launched the South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang Silver Medals with just a 1 Troy oz weight offered. The design features of that original release depict the fearsome God of War standing on the ground bearing his traditional shield, wearing his feared mask, and brandishing a long spear in his right arm. On the face of his shield you’ll notice a depiction of the mask that traditionally covers his face.

Flip the silver medal over and you’ll find a close-up, detailed depiction of Chiwoo Cheonwang’s shield. The image is surrounded by identifying engravings that include the year of issue, metal type, purity, nation of issue (Republic of Korea), and the phrase “1 Clay.”

Progressive Design Approach in the Silver Chiwoo Series

KOMSCO uses new designs on the reverse of the Silver Chiwoo Medals each year, but it is not a random approach to new imagery each year like you may find on other coins. There is a progressive march through the design elements on the reverse in this series that follows Chiwoo through the stages of battle. The 2016 debut, for instance, depicts Chiwoo in the very early stages of preparation for battle. He is without his war horse and has just completed putting on his armor and gathering his weapons as he stands at the ready. The following years have featured these design elements:

• 2017 – in the second release, Chiwoo has his war horse at the ready and has taken to his mount to deliver an inspiring speech to his troops. As the horse rears up on its hind legs, you can see the determination for victory in Chiwoo’s face.
• 2018 – the third design captures Chiwoo in the thick of the action. Riding his horse into battle, this is the view that many enemy soldiers last saw in this world before Chiwoo defeated them. He rides fearlessly into battle with his sword at the ready to cut down any opponent.
• 2019 – for the fourth release, the battle is over and it is now time for Chiwoo to take stock of what has been lost and gained as a result of the fight. His horse is now off getting food and water as Chiwoo stands, without his helmet, on the field of battle surveying the outcome. His shield rests at his side and his hand rests on the handle of his sword as it is steadied with the point down to the ground.

Who is Chiwoo Cheonwang?

Korean lore talks of Chiwoo Cheonwang as the God of War. He is a fearsome deity who wears a demon-like mask, possess the ability to cast magical spells, and carries a large shield around with him and wears a mask engraved on the front. It is also said that Chiwoo Cheonwang has the power to control the weather. In the modern era, South Koreans know him as the Red Devil, or mascot of the national soccer team for South Korea. Fans of the team will wear a mock of his mask as a sign of support for the squad.

Why is “Clay” in the Title?

Most listings for the Silver South Korean Chiwoo Cheonwang include the use of both 1 Troy oz and “Silver Clay.” KOMSCO introduced the use of Clay for the first time with this series. The use of 1 Clay refers to a concept of measurement meant to relate a certain amount of land. The mint describes it as “soil, earth, dirt, ground, or land.” The Chiwoo Cheonwang medals have no legal tender denomination attached, but the 1 Clay relates a value of 1 Troy oz of silver to a certain amount of land instead.

Zi:Sin Series

Building off the success of the Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang medals introduced in 2016, KOMSCO introduced the Zi:Sin Series medals in 2017. The collection is KOMSCO’s version of a lunar-themed series of gold and silver bullion products. The silver medals in the series feature a shared reverse design element. On the reverse of each Zi:Sin Series medal is the face of Do ggae bi on the shield of Chiwoo Cheonwang, along with the latent security image KOMSCO now uses on its silver bullion medals.

The obverse designs in this collection feature one of the 12 Guardians from Korean lore. These figures are the leading military commanders in God’s armies and watch over the mortal world for threats from the forces of evil that arise from all directions. Designs available in the Zi:Sin Series include the following:

• 2017 Gallus: The Gallus design features the image of Gallus, a warrior with the ability to summon rays of light that blind his enemies. The tall helmet he wears gives him the power to look into the future and capture a vision of the events yet to come.
• 2018 Canis: In the Canis release, another of God’s warriors is featured. Canis is one of God’s most loyal warriors and is always at his side ready to fight against the forces of evil.
• 2019 Scrofa and Scrofa Ghost: The third release in the Zi:Sin Series is arguably its most unique so far. The issue includes the image of Scrofa on the reverse. She is the guardian of the Salt Lake, the place where the mortal and immortal worlds connect. Scrofa can see threats over great distances and uses the power of duplication to confuse her enemies in battle with various depictions of herself. In a unique twist, KOMSCO offered a Scrofa Ghost medal as well in this issue that depicted Scrofa with one of her ghostly figures on the reverse.

Variations Introduced to the Zi:Sin Series

The Zi:Sin Series’ growing popularity has led KOMSCO to diversify the options available to collectors of these designs. Although each date mark brings its own new design already, KOMSCO is expanding beyond the bullion versions of the silver medals to offer low-mintage collectible medals as well. This includes the following silver medals that have added to the variety in this already-impressive series:

• Scrofa Eclipse – the 2019 Scrofa Silver Medal features a distinctive “eclipse” option from KOMSCO that takes advantage of the mint’s proprietary latent imaging technology. By applying its latent imaging technology to the entire reverse design field, KOMSCO delivers a new view on Scrofa. As the angle of viewing changes when you rotate the coin, you’ll notice that Scrofa stands out in some angles, but its eclipsed into darkness in others as her ghost figure appears behind her. KOMSCO’s latent imaging technology is visible image-changing technology and was applied to this release of 1,000 silver medals.
• Scrofa Gold and Rhodium Plated – One of a growing number of silver medal options for collectors in the Zi:Sin Scrofa release. The Gold and Rhodium plated silver medal has a gold plating on the image of Scrofa on the reverse, with a rhodium plating on the shield of Chiwoo Cheonwang that bears the image of Do ggae bi. There are only 500 silver medals in this release.
• Scrofa 3 Medal Set – Collectors will be stumbling to get a piece of this collector set. There are a total of three distinct 1 oz silver medals in this issue. Each one has .999 fine silver and different finishes. There is one silver medal with a gold plating on the image of Scrofa, and another with a rhodium plating on her figure. The centerpiece of this release is the medal with a full gold-plated background and a rhodium plating on the figure of Scrofa. There are just 333 of these sets available to purchase!
• Proof Zi:Sin Medals – the designs in the Zi:Sin Series are now available as proof silver medals as well. Each one has a limited mintage of 1,000 medals only and comes with beautiful presentation packaging. The shield of Chiwoo Cheonwang with the face of Do ggae bi forms the presentation box for Zi:Sin proof medals and opens down the center to reveal the individual coins housed inside. Each one comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity and a themed shipper.

Silver Tiger Series

The Korean Tiger Series of bullion medals from KOMSCO debuted in 2016 with a gold option, but the designs in this collection did not come to silver bullion products for sale from KOMSCO until 2018. With the 2018 release of the Silver South Korean Tiger Medals, KOMSCO added to its range of silver medals in an impressive way. The Silver South Korean Tiger Medals are available in 1 oz silver and 10 oz silver. Designs in this series include the following elements:

• The obverse side of the silver medals in the South Korean Tiger release include an image of a Korean tiger. The use of the term “Korean tiger” is colloquial and refers to the Siberian tiger, a species that once ranged from Far Eastern Russia down through the China and into the Korean Peninsula. The gold medals in this series have new designs with each release, and the silver medals are expected to follow suite.
• On the reverse of all Silver South Korean Tiger Medals is the image of Do ggae bi. This grotesque figure is found on the battle shield of Chiwoo Cheonwang and the design elements on this side also include the weight, purity, metal content, and KOMSCO’s latent security image.

Buying Silver South Korean Chiwoo Cheonwang Medals at Silver.com

At Silver.com we make it easy for you to purchase the Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang Medal you want from our catalog. Silver.com proudly accepts major credit and debit cards, with no minimum purchase price and a maximum of $5,000. PayPal fund transfers are our latest offering. In addition to a $0 minimum and a $10,000 maximum, PayPal transactions process instantly and enter the shipping queue immediately. Paper check payments have a similar $0 minimum and a $50,000 maximum, and while they take four to six business days to process, you’ll enjoy a 4% savings on your purchase price compared to credit/debit payments and PayPal transfers.

We also accept bank wire transfers. The minimum is higher at $2,500, but the $250,000 maximum makes it easier for you to invest in as much silver as you wish. Bank wire payments process instantly and enter our shipping queues immediately.

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If you have any questions about Silver South Korean Chiwoo Cheonwang Medals, payment methods, or shipping options, please feel free to contact a Silver.com associate. Our team members are available on the phone during regular business hours at 888-989-7223, online using our website’s hosted live chat, or by submitting your questions to us in writing via email. Don’t forget you can also visit our homepage to the latest price of gold and silver!