Reproductions of Empire Orders

“French Copies”

There are a number of Korean Empire Orders that have been copied or reproduced. The older ones are generally referred to as “French Copies” or occasionally as “European Copies.” Peterson, in his monograph, “Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States,” writes, “Korean orders have seldom been mentioned in numismatic literature except for Trost, who apparently had access to a translation of the Korean statutes. His descriptions are generally correct, but the measurements, given as ‘English inches,’ are actually in the Oriental ‘sun’ of 30.5 mm.”1 The interesting thing about the Trost publication is that he lists all the Korean Orders except for the Order of the Auspicious Phoenix, but he only has drawings for the Order of the Golden Measure.2 As far as I can determine, the Order of Taeguk accounts for the majority of orders that fall into the category of “French Copies.” I have only had the opportunity to examine a single “French Copy” and could not find any hallmarks, French or otherwise. Surprisingly enough, these older “French Copies” are collectible. Since Trost did not have a drawing of the Order of Taeguk, manufacturers possibly used the whorl that was on the Korean flag at the time.

An early 20th century “French Copy” of the Korean Order of Taeguk, 1st Class.
Another early 20th century “French Copy” of the Korean Order of Taeguk. Sold by eMedals, Item #W2364, Date of sale unknown.
The ‘Denny Taegeukgi’ 데니태극기 (Registered Cultural Property No. 382) is the flag that King Kojong (reigned 1863-1907) gave to Owen Nickerson Denny (1838-1900), an American diplomatic adviser. In 1981, the flag was donated to Korea by William Ralston, a descendant of O. N. Denny. The Korean Flag, the Taegukgi 태극기 had a whorl at its center from 1882-1910 and was depicted in 1889, with the whorl in the U.S. Navy book, Flags of Maritime Nations. It is the earliest surviving depiction of the Korean flag.3 Because of the Annexation, the whorl disappears in the 1914 edition. The current flag of the Republic of Korea first gained popularity when it was used by the Korean Provisional Government starting in 1919. During the March 1st 1919 demonstration for independence, Korean leaders discouraged the use of the flag because it represented the Korean Empire and was not a sign of modernity.
Order of the Golden Measure. The enameling in the center suggests that this is a “French Copy” and was probably inspired by the Trost publication. Photo courtesy of the Medals of Asia website.
Order of Taeguk, Obverse and Reverse. Notice that there is no Japanese style Hook and Eye suspension, and the text, normally found on one side of the suspension, is on both. The text characters are 勳功壹等 “Order of Achievement 1st Class”. Obviously, this is not a 1st class, but it does match the text found in the 1910 Trost publication. The enamel is of better quality than the authentic medals. See the picture at right.
Enlargement of the pendant at left. Notice the quality of the enamel. This technique is referred to as Basse-taille (Low-cut). The translucent enamel is placed over a roughened subsurface. The same sort of enamel treatment is also found on the gold miniature at below. Picture courtesy of Medals of Asia website.
A Miniature Korean Order of Taeguk in Gold
Sold by eMedals, Item #W4867, Oct. 27, 2017
This is the only “French Copy” that I have had the opportunity to inspect. I could not find any hallmarks. 65.5×89 mm

Contemporary Reproductions

Within the last ten years, the number of Korean Empire Orders that have been faked has risen dramatically. I have seen several Breast Stars and Commemorative Medals. They are usually easy to spot, but the fakes are getting better. I think some of this is an offshoot of the Orders and Medals needed for display purposes by Korean museums. Once the museums got what they required, the manufacturers continued to sell to the collector market. Several that I have seen on EBAY have been described as reproductions, but not all. Be wary of anything coming out of China. There are many legitimate medals in Japan, but be wary because there are Japanese dealers also selling reproductions and claiming they are original. Recently, I saw a reproduction of a third class of the Order of Taeguk for sale in Korea. The seller described it as a movie prop and was asking less than $300.

Reproduction of the Cravat used on the 2nd or 3rd Class of the Order of Taeguk
Contemporary Museum Reproductions often vary in size and quality. There are contemporary fakes of the Order of the Purple Falcon (second from right) which was never issued.
Order of the Plum Blossom
Breast Star
Found in a Japanese auction for ¥6,000 ($39.40)
Order of Taeguk, 2nd Class.
The one thing that often leads one to believe that this is a contemporary reproduction, is that the dealers rarely show the full ribbon. If they did, you would find that the ribbon has no ties or hooks or, if it does have hooks, they are the wrong type. See the cravat above.
A museum reproduction of Emperor Kwangmu’s uniform and medals.
The Pendant and Breast Star look original, but the rosette on the sash is definitely wrong. It should be shaped like a plum blossom.
Notice that this medal is trimmed in gold, even the suspension is gold. Should be silver.
This is an Altered Order of Taeguk, 7th Class. The taeguk symbol has been replaced by a solid red cabochon, in imitation of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun. Although rare, they are seen occasionally, and they are pre-World War II.
Order of the Golden Measure
Breast Star
Order of Taeguk
2nd Class Breast Star
Order of Taeguk
2nd Class Breast Star
From a Japanese auction site, asking price 20,000 Yen ¥ plus 10% ($154 U.S.)
Reproductions like this are often listed on ebay as original and priced in the $3,800 to $4,000 range.

As far as Korean Empire Orders, the Breast Stars are the most often faked because they don’t require the manufacture of a sash with its stylized plum blossom flower or a cravat. Most of these are easy to spot because of the highly polished surfaces on the reverse, but I have seen several with artificially aged reverses. I have seen the third-class pendants with ribbons, but so far, of the ones I have seen, the ribbons do not have the correct hardware to connect the two ends. Of the commemorative medals, I have seen reproductions of the Enthronement Medal, the 50th Birthday Medal, and the Imperial Tour Medal. To see more of these current reproductions, see the Medals of Asia webpage.

Reproduction of the Order of the Auspicious Phoenix, 3rd Class. There are internet sources which claim that the original pendants were made of gold, but I cannot confirm that. Pictures courtesy of Medals of Asia Website.
Reverse of the Order of the Auspicious Phoenix, 3rd Class.
Order of the Auspicious Phoenix, Third Class, without ribbon. It was on EBAY (Aug. 14, 2024) with no mention that it is a reproduction.

Cosplay Accessories

Footnotes:

  1. In Japan, the unit, sun (寸), was standardized at 1000⁄33 mm (~3.030 cm, ~1.193 in, or ~0.09942 ft).
  2. Trost, L. J., Die Ritter-und Verdienst-Orden, Ehrenzeichen und Medaillen aller Souveräne und Staaten seit Beginn des XIX. Jahrhunderts (The Knights and Orders of Merit, Decorations and Medals of All Sovereigns and States Since the Beginning of the XIX. Century), by L. J. Trost, published in Wien and Leipzig by Wilhelm Braumüller in 1910 (Korea section: pp. 42-45, and Table XXVI, drawings 5 & 6).
  3. United States Navy Department, Bureau of Navigation. Published by the Navy Department, Washington, D. C., July 1889.

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