Reproductions of Empire Orders : Korean Medals 한국 메달

“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 the 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”¹ of 30.5 mm.” 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 and the Order of Taeguk.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”. Surprisingly enough, the older “French Copies” are collectible.

A Miniature Korean Order of Taeguk in Gold
Sold by eMedals, Item #W4867, Oct. 27, 2017

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 1^st Class”. Obviously, this is not a 1^st class, but it does match the text found in the 1910 Trost publication. The enamel is of better quality than the orginals. 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 left. Picture courtesy of Medals of Asia website.

**Order of the Golden Measure. The enameling in the center suggests that this is a “French Copy” and was probably copied from the Trost publication. Photo courtesy of the Medals of Asia website.**

Not a “French Copy”, this is an Altered Order of Taeguk, 7^th 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 The taeguk symbol has been replaced by a solid red cabochon, in imitation of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun.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.

**Also, not a French Copy, but notice that it is trimmed in gold, even the suspension is gold. Should be silver.**

**Probably a very 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.

Contemporary Fakes

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 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.

The Order of the Golden Measure
**Breast Star**

**Order of the Plum Blossom**
**Breast Star**

**A museum reproduction of Emperor Kwangmu’s uniform and medals.**

As far as Korean Empire Orders, the Breast Stars are the most often faked. It doesn’t require the manufacture of the ribbon or sash with its stylized Plum Blossom Flower. 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, along with the second class breast star. This makes it a 2nd class award. But so far, of the ones I have seen, the ribbons do not have the necessary hardware to connect the two ends. Of the Commemorative Medals, I have seen reproductions of the Enthronement medal, the 50th Birthday and the Imperial Tour. 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 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. The 6th Class, which was never issued, is the only pendant that has text on the reverse.**

**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:

In Japan, the unit, sun (寸), was standardized at 1000⁄33 mm (~3.030 cm, ~1.193 in, or ~0.09942 ft).
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).
United States Navy Department, Bureau of Navigation. Published by the Navy Department, Washington, D. C., July 1889.