(sold for $15.0)

1564, Thai Kingdom of Ayuthia. Silver Salung (1/4 Baht). Elephant/Conch Shell.

Condition: VF
Denomination: 1/4 Baht
Mint Period: 1350-1564 AD
Reference: Mitchiner 2711, KM-. R!
Countermark motive: Elephant right / Conch Shell
Diameter: 11mm
Weight: 3.14gm
Material: Silver

Obverse: Elephant right.

Reverse: Conch shell.

Before 1860, Thailand did not produce coins using modern methods. Instead, a so-called "bullet" coinage was used, consisting of bars of metal, thicker in the middle, bent round to form a complete circle on which identifying marks were stamped.

Ayutthaya (อาณาจักรอยุธยา,Anachak Ayutthaya, also Ayudhya, was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese (Annamese), Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the capital, also called Ayutthaya. In the sixteenth century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–88) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris.

By 1550, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, and parts of Cambodia.

In foreign accounts, Ayutthaya was called Siam, but many sources say the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, and their kingdom Krung Tai, 'The Tai capital'. The word 'krung' has alternative meanings, as does 'tai', but in this context Tai capital is appropriate.

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