The Korean Tiger bullion round returns, and it’s brought a doggie friend with it, the KOMSCO anniversary Korean Jindo

Now more than ever, Korea, and Korean culture, is rising in prominence around the world. We’ve all had this country in our everyday lives for a while now, with companies like Samsung, LG, Kia, and Hyundai reaching the lofty heights of becoming household names, but interest in Korean culture has exploded over the last few years as a reality. K-Pop and Gangnam-style have given way to some quite superb TV and movies, like Hellbound, Squid Game, and Parasite, and with that an interest to know more.

The precious metal bullion world has embraced the countries issues of late, from Chiwoo Cheonwang on the mythical side, to the Tiger on the natural, and today we’re looking at the latest in the latter series. The Korean Tiger debuted in gold form back in 2016, making the transition to silver in 2018, so this new release is the fourth 1 oz silver issue to date. Early releases were styled around the tiger’s ferocity, but last year saw a new direction, with the start of a four-year journey, whereby a tiger cub will journey over four seasons, and at four famous Korean locations. Last year, the very young cub was in Seoul in Spring, and now the growing cub is at the coastal city of Gangneung. Resting next to a growth of black bamboo, the historical site of Ojukheon fills the far background.

The obverse remains as before, with a map of Korea formed in Korean script in the centre, and a neat lenticular-style privy that displays either ‘999’, or Ag/Au when rotated in hand. A really nice design, and an interesting change from the usual roaring tiger that almost always represents this magnificent animal on coins. Mintages of 20,000 for the silver, and just 300 for the gold are pretty attractive as well.

In a surprising move, the tiger has been joined by a new companion. The Jindo is a dog native to Jindo Island, and is considered one of South Korea’s Natural Treasures, complete with a protected status. They’re prized for their loyalty, strength, and keen intelligence, as well as their double-coat and forward pointing upright ears. The new silver round does a good job capturing its nature.

Depicting an adult and a pup, it’s a charming composition, although the background texture is a little busy. The obverse marks this release out as a bit of a celebratory release. The number ’70’ is there to commemorate the establishment of KOMSCO back in 1951. There’s also a lenticular silhouette of a girl with an approaching Jindo. We’ve seen this minting technique used in small areas before, but this is much more expansive. It would be good to see it in hand, and we’ll try to get hold of one for an AgAuShoot on release. Overall, another great release, made all the more attractive with is relatively small mintage of just 7,000 pieces.

All three of the coins here should be available to buy shortly, and will no doubt prove attractive to the growing market for South Korean culture. Each of these one-ounce coins should come encapsulated in small quantities, with both silver coins also available in tubes and monster boxes as well.