One-satang coin

The Thailand one-satang coin is a currency unit equivalent to one-hundredth of a Thai baht. It is rare in circulation but used in banking transactions.

The first satang coin was issued from 1908 to 1937, and featured a hole through the middle.[1] It was made of bronze and measured 22mm in diameter, weighing 4.6g. It bore the name of King Rama VI.[2] A coin in the same design was minted in 1939 with name of King Rama VIII, and had a mintage of 24.4 million.[3] In 1941 the design of the coin changed, although it was still bronze with a hole. The diameter changed to 20mm and the weight to 3.5g.[4]

The hole was removed in 1942 [5] as the coin's composition became tin, reducing its weight to 1.5g and the diameter to 15mm. Only issued in 1942, it had a mintage of 20.7 million.[6] The design was changed on the coin, although it retained its specifications, in 1944. This coin had an issue of 500,000.[7]

The coin then fell out of circulation. It was reintroduced in 1987 as an aluminium coin weighing 0.5g and measuring 15mm in diameter. This was the first one-satang coin to feature a portrait of a monarch, King Rama IX, which was sculpted by Wuthichai Saengngoen.[8] A commemorative was released in 1996 to mark 50 years since of the reign of Rama IX, with a front-facing portrait of the King at his succession.[9] In 2008, the current portrait of the King was inserted on the obverse.[10]