Baht
| Baht | |
|---|---|
| Country: |
 Thailand
|
| Subdivision: | 1 baht = 100 satang |
| ISO 4217 code : | THB |
| Abbreviation: | ฿, Bt |
|
Exchange rate : (August 24, 2020) |
1 EUR = 37.211 THB 1 CHF = 34.58 THB |
The baht ( Thai : บาท , IPA : [bàːt]) is the currency of Thailand . It was named after the Thai unit of weight for gold (15.244 grams with 96.5% gold content), which is still common today among local goldsmiths and jewelers . The gold baht has been largely supplanted by the modern currency in coins and banknotes.
history
The great library of Ayutthaya was destroyed in the fall of the kingdom in 1766 due to the effects of war. That is why there are hardly any records from earlier times about when there were coins in ancient Siam . The assumption that there might also have been banknotes, since contact with China had always been maintained, could not yet be confirmed by finds.
The first coins were called tical (pronounced tickel). The word comes from the Arabic thaqal, which is related to the name of the Hebrew shekel and the Taka (literally coin or money) used in Bangladesh . From the middle of the 14th century at the latest, the currency unit tical was in use in ancient Siam; called Bat by the Siamese in earlier times. The tical was originally a piece of silver weighing 15 g, which appeared in different forms at different times. Some pieces were in the shape of a rifle cartridge, others looked like small bars, some like narrow, elongated rhombuses, and others were more or less round.
The tical was divided into four Salueng (or Salyn), which means quarter, a Salueng in turn consisted of two Fueang (also Fuang or Fyän), both of which were silver coins . There were also smaller copper coins in circulation, such as the Song-Pai ( 1 ⁄ 16 Tical), the Pai ( 1 ⁄ 32 Tical), the At ( 1 ⁄ 64 Tical) and the Solot ( 1 ⁄ 128 Tical). Local manner were Kauri clams traded as currency, where 1,200 shells had the value of a Fueang. For a while, small silver balls that were rated by weight were also in use: the pai.
The ticals were made in the royal mint. The Siamese crown was minted on one side and the mint mark on the other . In addition to 1-tical coins, 2- and 4-tical coins were also produced, with the largest coin weighing around sixty grams. These first ticals, however, did not have a real classic coin shape, but were spherical, with a notch on one side and the royal seal on the other. The largest currency unit was the 80 tical, which is said to have weighed over a kilogram.
This unusual form of coins was in use until around 1780 and would probably have been longer if the Chinese, who controlled more and more trade, had not increased their influence in the money and gold trade. At the beginning of the 18th century there were also large-scale forgeries , with several million coins being produced by Chinese counterfeiting gangs from lead with a thin layer of silver. By the time this fraud was noticed, a large part of the Siamese currency reserves were already made of lead. Some forger gangs were arrested and executed, but the damage was enormous.
The first modern coins
King Chulalongkorn ensured that Siam produced coins based on the European model and introduced banknotes. Inspired by the Prussian mints , he introduced this type of coinage in his kingdom. Since then, minting coins have been used in Siam, the avers the portrait of the king and reverse the Siamese coat of arms with a three-headed elephant. Mostly silver coins were minted, less often gold coins . Ticals could be recognized by their sound .
The first banknotes
Baht is originally the name of a traditional unit of weight (1 Baht = 15.16 g) with which the weight of gold and silver is still given in Thai trade today.
The banknotes issued by the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation in Bangkok for the first time on May 21, 1889 bore the name Baht in Thai script , and the English name Tical was also reproduced. In 1892 the sheet music printed in Germany by Giesecke & Devrient arrived in Bangkok. They were intended to be issued by the Thai Treasury. They also only show the word “Baht” in Thai, but out of consideration for foreigners, “Tical” was also written in English. The issue of the next series of Thainotes ("Series 1") was announced on September 7, 1902; it was put into circulation on September 19, 1902. These notes also only contained the word "Baht" in Thai, next to it the English word "Tical". In 1925 the “2. Series". It only had the Thai word "Baht", the English name was missing.
Today's currency in Thailand
A baht ( Thai : บาท ) is divided into 100 satang (s) (also stang ; Thai : สตางค์ ; abbreviation: stg. ); 25 Satang are a Salueng ( สลึง ).
There are coins of 1, 2, 5 and 10 baht. There are also coins for 25 and 50 Satang, but these are only used in larger supermarkets (the coins for 1, 5 and 10 Satang are no longer in circulation). Banknotes are issued in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Baht (10-Baht notes are no longer in use).
The reverse of the coins shows important temples ( wat ) in Thailand:
- 25 satang coin (1 salueng): Wat Phra Mahathat Woramaha Viharn in Nakhon Si Thammarat
- 50 satang coin (2 salueng): Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai
- 1 baht coin: Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok
- 2 baht coin: Wat Phu Khao Thong in Bangkok
- 5 baht coin: Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok
- 10 baht coin: Wat Arun in Bangkok
- The 10-baht coin is the same size and weight as the 2-euro coin , but can be distinguished from new coin-operated machines because of the different material.
- There are also special coins - usually with a value of 10 Baht - in circulation. The coins minted in 1996 for the 50th anniversary of the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) are particularly common . Another coinage took place in 2007 in honor of the Thai Medical Technology Council .
From April 6, 2019, coins with the portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn were issued .
The backs of the current banknotes (apart from these there are also older ones in circulation) show:
- Series 15 (obverse King Bhumibol Adulyadej )
- 20 Baht note (since 2003): King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII.) And the modern Rama VIII. Bridge in Bangkok
- 50 baht note (since 2004): King Mongkut (Rama IV.) With globe and telescope; also a small picture of the Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom . For a limited period of time, the 50 baht note was produced as a plastic banknote made of polymer film. It has a transparent window with the king's portrait as a watermark.
- 100 baht note (since 2004): King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and a scene regarding the abolition of slavery
- 500 Baht note (since 2001): Statue of King Nang Klao (Rama III) in front of Wat Ratchanatdaram in Bangkok; also a small picture of a sailing ship
- 1000 Baht note (since 2005): King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX.) With his camera in front of the Pa-Sak-Chonlasit dam .
- Series 16 (obverse King Bhumibol Adulyadej )
- 20 baht note (since 2013): King Ramkhamhaeng , the inventor of the Thai script and a stone pillar with an inscription 1292 ( Silajaruek Pokhun Ramkhamhaeng ).
- 50 baht note (since 2012): King Naresuan , depicted with a sword and on a war elephant.
- 100 Baht note (since 2015): King Taksin the Great , depicted as a military leader and on a horse.
- 500 Baht note (since 2014): King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I.) in front of Wat Pho .
- 1000 Baht note (since 2015): King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), Anantasamakhom throne hall and a scene about the abolition of slavery.
- Series 17 (obverse King Maha Vajiralongkorn )
- 20 baht note (since 2018): King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I.) and King Phutthaloetla (Rama II.).
- 50 baht note (since 2018): King Nang Klao (Rama III.) And King Mongkut (Rama IV.).
- 100 Baht note (since 2018): King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).
- 500 Baht note (since 2018): King Prajadhipok (Rama VII.) And King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII.).
- 1000 Baht note (since 2018): King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX.) And King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X.).
The central bank is the Thai central bank .
Weight unit
The baht is also a unit of weight for gold used by goldsmiths and jewelers in Thailand. One baht is equivalent to 15.244 grams . Since the purity of Thai gold is 96.5% by default, the actual gold content of one baht is 14.71046 grams, corresponding to 0.4729523 troy ounces . The weight of 15.244 grams applies to gold in bars , for jewelry one baht should be more than 15.16 grams.
See also
- The symbol ฿ is sometimes also Bitcoin uses
Individual evidence
- ^ Circulating banknotes. Bank of Thailand, accessed July 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Overview of gold data from the Thai "Department of Mineral Resources" (in Thai; PDF; 939 kB), last accessed on March 10, 2009.
