The 1966 10 won was among the first coins of modern South Korea — and the first-series issues in top grade are the blue chips of Korean collecting. This entry covers the first coinage and what makes the 1966 10 won special.
Key facts
- On August 16, 1966, the Bank of Korea introduced 1, 5, and 10 won coins — the first South Korean coins to display the date in the Gregorian calendar (Korean coin history summary).
- First-series (1966–1982) 10 won coins feature the Dabotap Pagoda; early dates show strike weakness not present on later dates, making well-struck 1966 examples condition rarities (Medium numismatic survey).
- A 2024 survey of the series noted an NGC MS-65 1966 10 won bringing $1,020 at a Stack’s Bowers Hong Kong auction in April 2024, with MS-64 examples trading in the $285–$455 range across Korean and eBay auctions in 2023 (Medium survey — third-party compilation; treat as indicative, not a price guide).
- First-series 5 won (1966, turtle ship/geobukseon design) had a recorded mintage of 10,000,000 — the lowest of its long 1966–2023 run (Numisview checklist).
Market check
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