1 Baht - Rama VIII Series 4, Thomas type I 'Siam'

Siam's Series 4 baht notes were printed in London but issued under a constitutional monarchy still finding its footing after the 1932 coup that ended absolute royal rule. The Ministry of Finance — not the National Bank, which did not yet exist in its modern form — retained note-issuing authority throughout this period, an administrative arrangement that explains the absence of any central bank designation on the face.

Thomas De La Rue produced two distinct plate types for this denomination within the series; this Type I version is the earlier production, distinguishable by specialists through specific text spacing and serial number font characteristics rather than any obvious visual difference.

Rama VIII, for whom the series is named, was thirteen years old and studying in Switzerland when these notes entered circulation.