Rama IV — better known in the West as King Mongkut — authorized machine-struck coinage in the late 1850s partly to satisfy treaty obligations with Britain following the Bowring Treaty of 1855, which opened Siam to foreign trade and exposed the bullet-coin monetary system to outside scrutiny. The Royal Siamese Mint acquired flatting and coining presses with British assistance, making this among the earliest mechanically produced silver issues from mainland Southeast Asia.
The fueang was one-eighth of a baht, a fraction with deep roots in traditional Siamese weights.
Rama IV — better known in the West as King Mongkut — authorized machine-struck coinage in the late 1850s partly to satisfy treaty obligations with Britain following the Bowring Treaty of 1855, which opened Siam to foreign trade and exposed the bullet-coin monetary system to outside scrutiny. The Royal Siamese Mint acquired flatting and coining presses with British assistance, making this among the earliest mechanically produced silver issues from mainland Southeast Asia.
The fueang was one-eighth of a baht, a fraction with deep roots in traditional Siamese weights.