I recently acquired a batch of glass fishing floats. As I looked at them closer to see if any of them had marks, I quickly realized that it was not Japanese characters I was seeing. In fact, it was Korean characters, or Hangul.
This led us down the path of searching for more information about Korean glass fishing floats.
First of all, there are four main characters of how to identify a Korean Glass Float
Diameter is usually 2 or 3in / 6 or 7.5cm
They have a wonky shape and tend to be thicker and heavier then Japanese floats
They are mostly green
They may have Hangul, Korean characters
Beyond that, there is not a lot of information out there online but Walt Pich in his multiple Glass Floats books did help to identify some of the floats. In "Glass Ball Marks" Pich first mentions the "3-piece floats" (WP#65) that seem to not be found in any Korean fishing villages but rather in Japanese piles by the thousands. Other than the 3 piece mold lines, another notable feature is the texture. Pich explains that these balls were created in a hand carved wooden mold. Due to the roughly carved molds the end product was that of the ball taking on the appearance of the crude mold.
The next mark listed is WP#231 with the Hangul characters for jo 조 and il 일. In discussion with our close friend in Korea, he confirms that this could be the ancient characters for "morning sun" (same as Asahi in Japanese). These are often found on beaches across the Pacific.
WP#338/#339 is another mark found on Korean floats. It is often found on 3inch floats but listed as uncommon. Please note, in Pich's Book "Glass Ball Marks" - the image is in fact upside down. This usually refers to gwang sung 광성 which translates to "Shiny Castle".
Lastly, WP#96 is another mark which displays the number "1273" along with other hangul characters. Pich notes that only 3 floats have been found with these characters in an old gear pile in South Korea. Certainly something to add to the bucketlist!
The next goal is to go to Korea and further investigate the fishing villages to see if there is any more information we can find first hand on the fishing industry and its historical floats. Until then, 안녕히 가세요!
Interested in learning more about Glass Fishing Floats? Check out these journals:
Please note, I do not buy or sell floats on behalf of other people. If you wish to sell your float, I recommend visiting the "Glass Floats Deal or No Deal" Facebook Page.
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