Thailand BE2489 25 satang KM-Y66
This specimen was lot 75792 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "THAILAND. 25 Satang (1/4 Baht), BE 2489 (1946). Bangkok Mint. Rama VIII. NGC MS-65. An enticing Gem with luster shining through the steely grays on the obverse. Exceeded in the NGC census by a sole example." This 25 satang or quarter baht was issued early in the reign of king Bhumiphol, or Rama IX. The early coinage of Thailand, or Siam, is a confusing mix of atts, fuangs, salungs and bahts. However, by this period, the system had been simplified to 100 satang = one baht. This is the first issue of this denomination since 1929. This coin is remarkable for its tin composition. Tin is plentiful in Thailand but makes a poor coinage alloy and is no longer used there for minting. Another 25 satang dated BE 2489 (but struck in the fifties) featured a teenaged bust of the king (KM 70).
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: tin.
Catalog reference: KM-Y66.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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