Siam / Thailand Coins
Rama 4 Gold 4 Baht
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Coin Details
| Origin/Country: |
THAILAND X |
| Item Description: |
4B (1863) GOLD - RAMA IV |
| Full Grade: |
NGC XF Details |
| Owner: |
deposito |
Owner Comments:
Gold 4 Baht of King Mongkut (IV) of Siam. This coin connects the 26 Centuries of Gold collection with the Coins of Siam / Thailand collection. King Mongkut was the fourth king in the Chakri dynasty, still in business in Thailand today under King X. This is the King from the "King and I" story. More importantly, this king set Siam on its course of modernization and careful navigation between the encroaching English and French colonies absorbing everything to its east, west and south. Like Japan, Siam found a way in this time to avoid colonization and maintain its own culture while absorbing the elements of Western Civilization that would help it stay independent and enjoy a higher standard of living. Today, it is the country in the region that many of its neighbors want to move to.
In about 1857 Queen Victoria gave Rama IV the first minting machine. It was a hand operated press. In 1863 King Rama IV ordered the production of gold and silver coins of four baht value bearing the Monkut-Krung Siam mark as mementos of his 60th birthday. This is a gold one.