5 Baht - Rama IX

This type was introduced as Thailand transitioned away from the heavier silver-content coinage that had anchored the baht through much of the mid-twentieth century. The clad construction — copper core with a cupronickel outer layer — was a practical response to rising metal costs that were forcing monetary authorities worldwide to rethink alloy compositions during the 1970s.

Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej, was by this point already the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history among living rulers, having ascended in 1946.