Thailand(Siam) Lat Money

Item number: A64

Year: AD 1500s -1800s

Material: Silver

Size: upper 88.66 x 11.91 / lower 16.68 x 60.57 mm

Weight: upper 24.17 / lower 36.69 g

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers Galleries 2023

This lot consists of two Lat silver money from Thailand (Siam), circulating in specific regions of Laos and Thailand during the 16th to 19th centuries.

The Lat money shares a distinctive shuttle-shaped form, featuring two to four marks on the coin. The most common version bears three marks, with the elephant symbol positioned in the centre, considered a royal certification. Buddhist symbols such as the “chakra” wheel are often present on the coin. The third mark typically represents an animal or floral motif, possibly indicating the minting location of the coin.

The marks on the depicted Lat money, from left to right, include a turtle, possibly signifying a mint; the royal symbol of an elephant; and the “chakra” wheel.

The Lat money was originally issued in the 16th centuries in the Lan Chang Kingdom. In AD 1707, the Lan Chang Kingdom split into the Luang Prabang and Vientiane Kingdoms. Both adopted the Lat currency, continuing to issue such lot until the end of the 19th centuries.

泰國(暹羅)拉特銀錠

物件編號: A64

年代: 公元 1500s -1800s 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 上 88.66 x 11.91 / 下 16.68 x 60.57 mm

重量: 上 24.17 / 下 36.69 g

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2023

此物件為泰國(暹羅)拉特銀錠2枚，是16~19世紀流通於寮國與泰國特定地區的條型貨幣。 

拉特銀錠的形狀呈梭織狀，錢幣上可能會有二至四個印記，最常見為三個印記的版本，且大象必須位於中間，大象符號被視為皇家認證的標誌 。錢幣上通常也存在佛教的“脈輪”符號。第三個通常是動物或花卉符號，這可能表明硬幣的鑄造地點。 

圖片中位於下方的該枚拉特幣上的印記由左至右分別為:可能代表某鑄幣廠的龜、象徵皇家代表的象、以及佛教的脈輪。

拉特幣最初於16世紀在瀾滄王國(Lan Chang)發行。公元1707年，瀾滄王國分裂為龍坡邦王國(Luang Prabang)和萬象王國(Vientiane)。兩者都採用了拉特貨幣，並一直發行此類錠塊到19世紀末。 

類似/相同物件 請看:

美國 國家歷史博物館 National Museum of American History

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_1068534

更多相關訊息請參考:

http://coinmuseum.treasury.go.th/en/news_view.php?nid=141

https://www.moneymuseum.com/en/coins?&id=2367

http://www.charm.ru/coins/misc/ingotmoneyforms.shtml