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Clamp money tin ingot currency
| Issuer | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1400-1700 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Tin |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents the underside of the cast ingot, displaying a similarly irregular and rough surface with pronounced casting seams, porosity, and dark oxidation patina. The concave lower profile and unfinished texture are typical of Southeast Asian primitive tin currency produced by open-mould casting. The three lug projections are visible in profile at the two ends and centre, confirming the symmetrical three-ear clamp morphology. No legends, marks, or devices are present on this face. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1400-1700) |
| Additional information |
Clamp money — known in Thai as "ngoen khip" — circulated across mainland Southeast Asia for several centuries as a practical trade medium in regions where Chinese cast coinage and later European specie were either scarce or refused. The folded, pinched form was not ornamental; it allowed rapid tactile verification of the metal without scales, and stacks could be bundled efficiently for transport along riverine trade routes connecting Lan Na, the Shan states, and the upper Mekong corridor.
Tin was the dominant monetary metal in this zone precisely because the peninsula sat atop some of the world's most productive alluvial tin deposits. Assigning a tight date range to individual specimens remains difficult — production was decentralized, unregulated, and continued in some areas well into the nineteenth century.