Here is a SilverTorch66 exclusive first look at the KOMSCO Mint’s Korean 1 oz Silver Bullion Tiger Medallion.
Living in South Korea for over a decade now, I have forged a close relationship with the great employees of Coin’sToday Ltd. A precious metals services and solutions company located in Seoul South Korea.
They are currently one of the primary distributors for KOMSCO products and my good friend Tommy Oh who is the Coin’sToday Business Development Manager was kind enough to provide me with an early sneak peek of this new arrival.
Each Medallion Contains 1 Troy oz of three nines pure silver in BU condition.
Just as a reminder that BU condition or Brilliant Uncirculated means the medallions will exhibit no indications of wear and tear but may have minor flaws and imperfections resulting from the coining process. These flaws are typically breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, or contact marks.
Diameter 40mm
Thickness approx. 2.8mm
The edge design is reeded
There is a limited mintage of only 30,000 pieces
And there is no monetary denomination
They will arrive in individual capsules or plastic flips, in rolls of 20 or boxes of 100
The obverse displays the majestic and fearsome Korean Tiger also known as the Amur Tiger or Siberian Tiger prowling through its Asian habitat laden with native bamboo. You will also find the inscriptions of the medallions weight, year of mintage and the words Korean Tiger at the bottom center rim.
The reverse has a depiction of a map of the Korean Peninsula including both North and South Korea formed by a mosaic of Korean alphabetical characters with the larger letters in the mosaic perfectly placed to spell out the country's name. To the left center is the symbol of the Taeguk from South Korea’s national flag representing the balance of the universe. To the right center is the circular lenticular text security feature that has become a welcomed standard for the KOMSCO medallion product lines. It will either display “AG” or “999” depending on what angle you view the medal. Along the top edge will be the inscription Republic of Korea and along the bottom edge you will find the metal content and purity
To the Korean people, the tiger is a symbol of courage and absolute power and viewed as a guardian that can drive away evil spirits, while also serving as a sacred animal that can bring people good luck.
Unfortunately, the last time a Korean Tiger was spotted in the wild in South Korea was on Mount Daeduk in the Gyeonju province in 1922.
Here are some interesting tiger facts.
There is only one species of tiger (Panthera tigris) but there are nine subspecies, three extinct and six still living today.
The Baili tiger, Javan tiger, and Caspian tiger are considered extinct today.
Six living subspecies are the:
Bengal tiger
Indo-Chinese tiger
Malayan tiger
Siberian or Amur tiger
South China tiger
Sumatran tiger
Each subspecies differs in body size, fur color and length according to their habitats.
The Korean tiger is the largest tiger subspecies and the largest predatory cat in the world. But today, the Korean tiger goes by a different name. It has become better known as the Siberian or Amur tiger since they are no longer found in the wild within South Korean and few if any are thought to exist in the most remote North Korean mountains
Their only remaining wild populations are in Southeast region of Russia and in small numbers in China and North Korea.
The Amur tiger population according to various estimates is from 450 to 550 individuals.
In the wild they generally live to be 10 – 15 years old. But in captivity, they can live up to 22 years and beyond.
The Korean tiger averages about 11 ft. in length and males can weigh in at 700 lbs. That’s more than 150lbs heavier than the Bengal tiger and 250 lbs heavier than the African lion.
Did you know that no two tigers have the same stripe pattern?
A male tiger’s territory can be as large as 500 square miles and will fight any invading male tiger fiercely to protect it!
An Amur tiger can jump to a height of up 5 meters and a length of up to 10 meters
They generally eat about 20 lbs of meat at one sitting.
Did you know that tigers roar only during the mating season?
A littler consists of 2 to 6 cubs
At three months tiger cubs are able to leave the den and at 18 months can hunt on their own
When they reach two to three years old they will leave the den and begin life on their own.
The Amur tiger is the only subspecies of tiger that learned to live in the snow.
Tigers can purr when their happy
My thoughts on the South Korean Silver Tiger Medallion
First, I want to give another big shout out and thank you to Tommy Oh from Coin’s Today for allowing me to do an exclusive early review of this amazing South Korean medallion.
This design first came out in gold starting back in 2016 and I’ve been waiting for the silver version ever since. And when it finally arrived I was not disappointed! This is a beautifully designed medal with a proof like mirrored background and a dual frost textured subject that really bring out the details in the Korean Tiger! I had a lot of fun with the photoshoot working with lighting and color reflections to highlight this quality product. The font is clean and very readable, and the obverse design is well proportioned to the given space. The artist skillfully captured the true essence of a predatory cat on the hunt. Nothing looks fake or cartoonish! A job well done!
The reverse collage of the Korean peninsula was very cleverly constructed to spell out the country’s name and the use of the Taeguk symbol to fill the open space to the left of the design provided a needed balance to offset the circular security feature located to the right of the design. I am a very big fan of the KOMSCO mints lenticular text security feature. It’s great to see mints like KOMSCO taking steps to deter anti-counterfeiting and provide a means to validate the authenticity of their products. This medallion is only the first of a series to come with changing obverse designs each year. I will be looking forward to collecting this entire Korean Tiger series for years to come!
What are your thought about the Korean Tiger Silver Medallion? Let me know in the comments section below.
