Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
2 1/2 Baht 'Paddueng' - Rama IV
| Issuer | Royal Siamese Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field features the royal Mongkut (tiered crown) of King Rama IV surrounded by elaborate Thai architectural elements, including two multi-tiered chedis (pagodas) flanking the central motif on either side. Flames and decorative scrollwork radiate outward from the crown, with a five-pointed star positioned at the apex. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle and a rope-pattern outer border, rendered in the traditional Siamese decorative style of the mid-nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A white elephant, the sacred royal symbol of Siam, stands in profile facing left within a circular central medallion bordered by a granulated ring. The medallion is set within the Chakra (spinning discus), depicted as a radiant, multi-pointed wheel with stylized flame-like spokes, surmounted by a small crown with a star above it. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded border and an outer rope-pattern rim, consistent with Siamese royal coinage of the Rama IV period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Rama IV — known in the West largely through the fictional distortions of *The King and I* — was in practice a rigorous modernizer who had spent 27 years as a Buddhist monk studying Western science before ascending the throne in 1851. The Paddueng denomination was part of his systematic overhaul of Siamese coinage, replacing the ancient bullet-money tradition with struck Western-style coins capable of functioning in international trade, particularly with British colonial merchants pressing in from Burma and Malaya.
The Royal Siamese Mint was established with equipment sourced from Birmingham. Surviving examples in collectible condition are scarce; the small striking diameter and soft .997 fineness left the pieces vulnerable to contact marks from the moment of issue.