1 Baht - Rama V Copper-nickel Pattern, Coin alignment, Plain edge

Thailand's monetary modernization in the 1860s was driven largely by foreign trade pressure — Western merchants found the traditional bullet coinage ("pod duang") impossible to handle commercially. Rama V's father, Rama IV, had already introduced flat coinage, but the program accelerated under the young king's advisors in the late 1860s. This copper-nickel striking is a pattern produced for evaluation purposes, almost certainly never reaching circulation, as the Royal Thai Mint was simultaneously experimenting with multiple compositions and edge treatments before settling on production specifications.