The obverse of the souvenir coins will feature an image of King Bhumibol and the reverse a cow elephant and its calf. The dual design is meant to commemorate the monarch’s innovations in conserving the pachyderm species for posterity and has been labelled Thai Wildlife: Elephant, Thailand.
The Treasury says it will mint a total of 8,000 of the coins but has not revealed details of their retail price or where the general public will be able to buy them from. The first 1,000 are 99.9 per cent gold with a weight of 31.21 grams each and a face-value of THB4,000.
The second 2,000 are a quarter of the weight of the premium issue and 10-millimetres smaller in diameter. The remaining 5,000 are being cast from 99.9 per cent silver and have a diameter of almost 39-millimetres.
The Treasury says the coins will available for purchase by collectors from June 2016 onwards. The Treasury’s director-general, Jakkrit Parapuntakul, told Thai PBS News the commemorative issue will be unveiled at this week’s World Money Fair in Germany.
Thailand to mint new issue of royal commemorative coins
News in Asia
The Treasury Bureau of Thailand has announced it will issue a trio of commemorative coins in homage to King Bhumibol. The coins will be available in three denominations and available in silver and gold.