10 won 1947
About This Note
This is an uncirculated 1947 North Korean 10 won note (Pick P-10Ab) featuring exceptional artistic engraving depicting two working-class figures—a miner with pickaxe and a soldier with rifle—representing the post-liberation labor and military themes of early North Korea. The reverse displays a dramatic mountainous landscape, and the note exhibits pristine condition with sharp printing, excellent color registration in pink, olive green, and beige tones, and no signs of wear or circulation.
Common. The 1947 North Korean 10 won notes were issued in substantial quantities during the initial currency distribution following the establishment of the DPRK's central banking system. Despite their historical significance and age, these notes remain relatively available to collectors in both circulated and uncirculated states. No evidence of short print runs, recalls, or exceptional scarcity exists for this Pick number.
Issued in 1947 by the North Korean Central Bank immediately following the peninsula's liberation from Japanese occupation, this note reflects the nascent DPRK's ideological emphasis on labor and military strength. The depicted miner and soldier symbolize the worker and military classes that would form the foundation of North Korean society, while the mountain landscape on the reverse likely represents Korean national pride and territorial identity during the early period of communist state-building.
The front features a patriotic dual-portrait composition: on the left, a worker wearing a wide-brimmed hat carries a pickaxe across his shoulders representing the mining or industrial labor sector; on the right, a figure in military cap holds a rifle, representing the armed forces. Both figures stand before an industrial facility or factory structure in the background. The reverse displays a classically-engraved mountain landscape with a prominent central peak surrounded by forested valleys, evoking the Taebaek mountain range and Korean natural heritage. The ornate decorative borders incorporate geometric and floral motifs rendered in pink, olive green, and beige, with red security seals bearing Korean characters positioned on the obverse.
Front side: '북조선중앙은행권' (North Korean Central Bank Note), '십' (ten), '원' (won), '권' (note/certificate), serial number 'ΛΙ 802920'. Back side: '십원' (ten won), '1947' (year of issue), '10' (denomination appearing in all four corners), '선조주민' (selected people/citizens or 'chosen people').
Line engraving (intaglio printing) executed with fine detail work characteristic of 1940s banknote production. The intricate border patterns, landscape vignette, and security elements demonstrate skilled engraver work. This early DPRK note was likely produced by Soviet-assisted printing facilities or Korean printers under Soviet technical direction, though the specific printer attribution for Pick P-10Ab is not definitively documented in standard catalogs.
The serial number 'ΛΙ 802920' indicates this is from the standard issuance run. Pick P-10Ab specifically denotes the second confirmed variety/printing of the 1947 10 won denomination. The red rectangular seal and Korean inscriptions are consistent with the documented P-10Ab variety. Minor variations in seal positioning, color intensity, or serial number prefixes may exist across the print run, which is typical for notes of this era and issuing authority.
