Catalog
Kub money Sukothai, Elephant
| Issuer | Thailand |
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| Year | 1238-1361 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 72.4 g |
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| Obverse description | Cast lead kub money of irregular bullet form, the obverse bearing a relief depiction of a standing elephant in left profile, rendered in a schematic yet naturalistic style characteristic of Sukhothai-period cast currency. The elephant's trunk is raised and its four legs are visible, the body contours flowing organically into the rounded, lobate form of the planchet. The surface is unmarked by any legend or inscription, the figural motif occupying the entire available field. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a centrally placed punch mark depicting a small elephant figure in incuse relief, surrounded by four additional circular incuse punch marks positioned at the cardinal points of the field. The surface is otherwise plain and uneven, consistent with the cast production method typical of Sukhothai kub proto-coinage. No legends or inscriptions are present. |
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| Additional information |
Kub money — sometimes called bullet money's cruder predecessor — circulated in the Sukhothai kingdom during a period when coinage standards were deeply inconsistent across mainland Southeast Asia. Lead examples like this one were almost certainly low-denomination instruments for local exchange, as silver kub pieces handled higher-value transactions. The elephant association likely reflects both royal symbolism and the animal's practical economic importance as a labor and trade commodity in the region.