Chetrum: coin from Kingdom of Bhutan (1974-1975); 1/100 ngultrum

CHETRUM: COIN OF BHUTAN

20 chetrum, 1974: Kingdom of Bhutan

20 chetrum (ཕྱེད་ཏམ), 1974: Kingdom of Bhutan

Ruler: Jigme Singye Wangchuck (འཇིགས་མེད་སེང་གེ་དབང་ཕྱུག) — King of Bhutan.

Simplified version of the coat of arms of Bhutan (two crossed vajras — symbol of power and justice; a sacred weapon, symbolizing the properties of a diamond /indestructibility/ and a thunderbolt /irresistible force/).

20 CHETRUMS - BHUTAN (འབྲུག ཕྱིང་ཊམ).

Coin of the FAO series (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).

FOOD FOR ALL (ཀུནཡ་བཟའ་བཏང་): motto.

Rice cultivation.

Mintage: 1.194.000.

  • Aluminium-bronze: 22 mm - 4.5 g
  • Reference price: 1.5$

COIN CHETRUM — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
  1. KINGDOM OF BHUTAN (1974-1975): chetrum = 1/100 ngultrum

Pay attention: at different times, Bhutanese ngultrum was divided into 100 chetrums or 100 chhertums (since 1979). It is unknown why the spelling of the coin was changed. Formally, a chetrum is not a chhertum.


The name of the chetrum in dzong-ke (official language of Bhutan) translates as "half of the coin". The term comes from the neighboring Indian principality of Kuch-Behar, which existed until the middle of the 20th century. It was there that half a rupee was called chetrum.