This old Korean coin chest on stand is known locally as a Ton-Kwe 돈궤. It's immediately identifiable from its pine wood frame and iconic iron hardware. Traditional coin chests were around 1 - 1.2 meters in length and were made from red elm, from the 20th century, the majority of ton-kwe were constructed from pine, reinforced with iron. 

This chest is bijou in size and the pine wood is patinated from years of age. It would be an iconic coffee table in any home. The ironwork has square motifs. The chest dates to the 1920's and a later stand was added towards the end of the 20th century. 

The Korean ton-kwe coin chest began life as storage for the 'Mun', the main currency of Korea from 1633 onwards. As mun were of small denominations, they had to be strung together to have any value. These chains of coins were stored in these chests. 

Antique Korean furniture is rare to find in Europe, especially of this quality. This chest is the perfect height for an unusual coffee table. There is writing on the interior of the chest. 

Dimensions:

81 x 39 x 48 (wxdxh cms) - Height inc stand

From Korea

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