Item number: A1695

Year: AD 1876-1900

Material: Silver

Size: 14.4 x 14.4 mm

Manufactured by: Royal Thai Mint, Bangkok

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is a one-fuang silver coin minted by the Royal Mint in Bangkok and issued by the Ministry of Finance (กรมพระคลัง) in the name of King Rama V of Thailand. Eight fuang equate to one baht.

The obverse of the coin features a left-facing half-length portrait of King Rama V, depicted in a Western-style military uniform. The portrait is framed by two hexapetalous floral motifs set within a square pattern. Surrounding the upper portion is the Thai inscription “สมเด็จพระปรมินทรมหาจุฬาลงกรณ์”, which translates to “His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great”. This phrase denotes his royal title. The lower portion bears the inscription “พระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว”, meaning “King Chulalongkorn”, which represents his personal appellation.

The reverse side displays the national emblem of Thailand. At the centre of the emblem is a shield, the upper section of which features Airavata, the multi-headed white elephant that serves as the mount of Indra in the Ramayana. The three heads symbolise the northern, central, and southern regions of Thailand. In the lower-left section of the shield, an elephant represents Siam’s suzerainty over Laos. In the lower-right section, two crossed kris daggers symbolise the kingdom’s authority over the Malay populations in the southern provinces. Above the shield appears the emblem of the Chakri dynasty, consisting of a chakra (discus) and a trident—attributes of Shiva in Hindu mythology, representing eternal cosmic cycles and the forces of creation and destruction. Flanking the shield are two seven-tiered ceremonial umbrellas, traditional symbols of royal sovereignty. At the top of the emblem rests the Great Victory Crown, signifying the king’s divine mandate, worn exclusively during coronation ceremonies. To the left of the emblem, the inscription “กรุงสยาม” denotes the “Palace of Siam”, the royal residence and political centre. To the right, “รัชกาลที่ ๕” identifies the coin as belonging to the reign of King Rama V. At the bottom, the inscription “เฟื้องหนึ่ง” indicates the denomination of one fuang.

In AD 1875, King Rama V ordered the establishment of a new mint, and the newly designed coins were issued the following year. These coins were modelled on Western coinage, marking the first instance in Thai history of circulating coins bearing a royal portrait. This practise subsequently became a numismatic tradition. Historically, the baht had been a unit of weight, defined as 15 grams of silver. However, following the decline of global silver prices in 1902, the Thai monetary system was informally transitioned to the gold standard, effectively severing the baht’s link to silver and restructuring the national currency system.

King Rama V (AD 1853–1910) reigned from AD 1868 to 1910. His reign was characterised by a comprehensive programme of modernising reforms that laid the foundation for modern Thailand. His policies preserved the kingdom’s sovereignty, preventing it from being colonised by the British or the French.

物件編號: A1695

年代: 公元 1876-1900 年

材質: Silver

尺寸: 14.4 x 14.4 mm

重量:

製造地: 泰國曼谷皇家鑄幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚由泰國曼谷皇家鑄幣廠鑄造，財政部(กรมพระคลัง)以泰王拉瑪五世之名發行的1富昂銀幣。8富昂等於1泰銖。

銀幣的正面是拉瑪五世左側半身像，身著西式軍裝。以兩朵六瓣花方格，上方環繞著泰文「สมเด็จพระปรมินทรมหาจุฬาลงกรณ์」，意為「朱拉隆功大帝陛下」，下方環繞著「พระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว」，意為「朱拉隆功國王」。前者為王室頭銜，後者為個人尊號。

銀幣的背面為泰國國徽。中央盾徽的上部為多首白象藹羅筏孥，是《摩羅衍那》中因陀羅的坐騎。此處的三首分別代表泰國的北、中、南部。盾徽左下角的大象，代表了對寮國的宗主權。盾徽右下角的交叉短劍，代表對泰國南部馬來人的宗主權。盾徽的上方為扎克里王室的象徵，脈輪(Chakra)與三叉戟，為神話中濕婆手持武器，代表永恆與毀滅。盾徽的兩側是七層華蓋，為王權的象徵。最上方為大勝王冠，為國王代行神權的象徵，只有登基儀式上才會配戴。國徽左側「กรุงสยาม」為「暹羅宮」，泰王居所與政治中心。右側為「รัชกาลที่ ๕」，「拉瑪五世國王」。下方「เฟื้องหนึ่ง」為面額1富昂。

公元1875年，拉瑪五世下令新建鑄幣廠，公元1876年，新幣發行，新的硬幣仿效西方，為泰國史上首度發行刻有國王肖像的硬幣，成為了新的傳統。泰銖原為重量單位，為15克銀，在公元1902的銀價下跌中，非正式地採用了金本位，泰銖與銀脫鉤，貨幣體系重整。

拉瑪五世(AD 1853-1910)，公元1868至1910年間在位，任內進行一系列現代化改革，是現代泰國的締造者，並避免泰國淪為英、法殖民地。