coin
- Museum number
- 1857,1104.5
- Description
-
Silver coin. Awaiting further details.
- Curator's comments
- Copied from curator's notes (1994):
The "Royal Gift" (Thai coins presented to the BM by the Earl of Clarendon in 1857.
The history of the minting machinery to make the coins:
Sorndet Phra Chawm Klao (Mongkut) 1851-1868, the fourth reign of the Bangkok dynasty, saw the opening up of Thailand to foreign commerce and trade. During this period flat coins replaced the bullet-shaped coins.
In 1856 enquiries had been made in England as to the cost of introducing modern mining apparatus into Thailand.
Correspondence between Sir Robert Schomburgk (British Consul) and HM King Mongkut shows that there was an acute shortage of silver bullet money in February 1859, and that the King was keen to obtain a coining press large enough to produce 100,000 ticals per day.
In Marh 1858 Schomburgk was requested to obtain, through the British Government, a minting machine at a cost of £2000 and two engineers to work it.
However, Queen Victoria had already presented a small minting machine to King Mongkut, but which would have been too small for the large number of coins he now wanted to make.
Schomburgk ordered the machinery, and then discovered that the Thai envoys had recently been to England and also ordered a complete minting machine. So the Government order was stopped.
The Thai envoys' order was carried out by Messrs Taylor of Birmingham, at a cost of £3000. This was the same firm that had made the small machine presented to the King by Queen Victoria.
The new machinery arrived in Bangkok in 1858/59, and was set up in the Grand Palace. The Edict announcing the issue of new flat silver ticals to the public was dated 17 September 1860.
Registration nos of coins:
1857,1104.2 (silver, 1 baht, proof)
1857,1104.3 (silver, 1/2 baht, proof)
1857,1104.4 (silver, 1/4 baht, proof)
1857,1104.5 (silver, 1/8 baht, proof)
see also 1905,0104.30 (silver, 1/16 baht) presented by the Siamese Government
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1857
- Acquisition notes
- Also referred to as part of the "Royal Gift" (Thai coins presented to the BM by the Earl of Clarendon in 1857). See Curatorial Comment.
- Department
- Money and Medals
- Registration number
- 1857,1104.5