One of the rising stars of the precious metals industry at the moment is the new Chiwoo Cheonwang Series from Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation. Better known as KOMSCO, the mint is the sovereign facility of South Korea and has been working to expand its portfolio of silver and gold bullion products for investors. The first major series from KOMSCO to grab the attention of global buyers was Chiwoo Cheonwang.
Introduced in 2016, Chiwoo Cheonwang gold and silver coins feature an obverse design of the God of War and legendary figure known as Chiwoo Cheonwang. One of the staples of this series is the use of a new design on the obverse of the coins with each new release. The 2018 1 oz South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang coin is currently on presale with JM Bullion, and will be available for shipping later in April. Take a moment now to learn more about the latest design and update yourself on the background of this popular new coin collection.
The New 2018 Design
As mentioned above, the Chiwoo Cheonwang coins have a new design on the obverse each year. Always focused on the famed God of War himself, the Chiwoo designs used to date in the collection have followed a similar motif. Each year you’ll notice Chiwoo Cheonwang with full battle armor, a sword, his battle horse, and the shield or effigy of Do ggae bi. For 2018, the design takes a different focus on Chiwoo as he rides through the field of battle.
This new design focuses intently on Chiwoo Cheonwang’s face. While you can see him astride his warhorse, you can only see the saddle, mane, and some of the horse’s neck. Chiwoo’s face is in the greatest focus of any of the three designs created to date. His battle helmet protects his head and chin, but leaves his face exposed for great vision on the field of battle.
If you focus on the thigh and shoulder armor protecting Chiwoo Cheonwang, you’ll find the image of the mythical creature Do ggae bi. This figure’s grotesque image is found on the battle shield of Chiwoo in other designs, but found here only on the armor of Chiwoo Cheonwang. His long sword is in his right hand ready to plunge into an enemy’s body. The only engraving on this side is “Chiwoo Cheonwang.”
On the reverse of the 2018 1 oz South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang is the common design of Do ggae bi. The mythical creature was affixed to the ends of roof tiles on the homes of Koreans to ward off evil spirits. Its grotesque image helped to keep other evil spirits from entering homes. Engravings on this side of the coin include KOMSCO’s latent security image, with the “1 Clay” marking and the coin’s weight, purity, and metal content.
All South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang coins are available originally in BU condition. Known as brilliant uncirculated, these coins have no signs of wear and tear, but may exhibit minor production flaws such as breaks in the luster, spotted surfaces, or contact marks. The silver coins are shipped in protective plastic, mint tubes of 25 coins, or sealed boxes of 250 coins.
History of the Chiwoo Cheonwang Series
KOMSCO introduced the Chiwoo Cheonwang Series of silver and gold coins in 2016. The very first design in the series depicted Chiwoo standing alone on the field of battle, a long spear in his right hand and his famous battle shield in his left hand. His full body armor protects him in the fight and his face is largely obscured by his helmet and a lack of detail. For the 2017 release in the series, the designers put Chiwoo astride his warhorse as he surveyed the field of battle in front of him. The design continued with a long spear in his right hand and the Do ggae bi battle shield in the left hand. Again, his face was largely obscured by his helmet and the lack of detail available at a distance.
The reverse side of the coins each year featured the same design of Do ggae bi. Throughout the years, the coins had changing mintage figures. The debut year of 2016 had a mintage of 30,000 coins in total, while the popularity pushed the 2017 mintage of the coins upward to 50,000 coins in total. The 2018 South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang has a mintage that is slightly below the 2017 issue at 45,000, but still above the initial release.
Who was Chiwoo Cheonwang?
Chiwoo was, in real life, a tribal leader of the Nine Li tribe in ancient China. He was known as a tyrant who fought against the future Yellow Emperor of China. Today, many view Chiwoo as one of the three legendary founding fathers of China. For those people who immigrated south to the Korean peninsula from China, Chiwoo is revered as a God of War. On the field of battle, Chiwoo is said to have led his forces to victory in 9 major wars and 80 minor battles, eventually succumbing to defeat in the 10th war, rumored to have lasted 10 years.
Chiwoo only went down in defeat when the Yellow Emperor and Red Emperor combined forces to defeat him, but his legend had grown and would live on by this point. He was believed to have the power to conjure up inclement weather to swing control of the battlefield in favor of his troops.
Get Your 2018 Chiwoo Cheonwang Now!
Right now, JM Bullion offers the 2018 South Korean Silver Chiwoo Cheonwang online for presale. You can purchase coins now and when they arrive in stock, we’ll ship your orders first. The coins will ship from KOMSCO by the end of April 2018, and will go on full sale when JM Bullion receives its shipment. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us at 800-276-6508, chat with us live online, or email us directly. Don’t forget to stay tuned to our blog each week for updates on new coin releases, upcoming releases, and other precious metal news. Our Facebook page is also out there for you to follow and remain in the loop!