Salung Coin: From Bullet Money to Machine-Struck

Illustrated Specimen Details: Silver Salung of Siam

Example Specimen: 1 Salung, 1919 (Kingdom of Siam)

Authority & Identification: This silver coin was issued by the Kingdom of Siam (the official name of Thailand until 1939, and briefly again until 1949). The obverse features the portrait of Vajiravudh (Thai "วชิราวุธ"), the 6th monarch of Siam, widely known as King Rama VI, who reigned from 1910 to 1925. The surrounding Thai inscription reads "มหา วชิราวุธ สยามิ นทร์" (Maha Vajiravudh Siamni — representing the title of the monarch). The reverse proudly depicts the mythical multi-headed white elephant Airavata, a prominent heraldic symbol and a typical character of Siamese culture. The reverse inscriptions include "สยาม รัฐ - ๒๔๖๒" (Siam state - 2462) and the denomination "หนึ่ง สลึง" (one salung). The date on the coin is indicated as BE 2462 according to the Buddhist Era calendar (Calendar of the Lord Buddha), which corresponds to the year 1919 in the Gregorian calendar. The total mintage for this specific issue was 7,860,000 pieces.

1. THAILAND (14th-20th centuries) — AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM + KINGDOM OF SIAM: salung = 1/4 baht

SALUNG (สลึง) as a coin name refers to two distinct types of Thai (or rather Siamese) coins that were valued at one-quarter of a baht. The name itself originates from the Old Khmer word "sliṅ" (meaning an unidentified weight). It is also known that the salung is a traditional Thai unit of gold weight, exactly equal to 3.75 grams.

History and Evolution of the Salung

Origins and Monetary System

The salung (also transliterated as salueng) was a major traditional coin and monetary denomination of Siam, serving as one of the most important intermediate units in the pre-decimal currency system. For much of its history, Siam utilized a unique monetary structure based on a traditional hierarchy rather than a decimal subdivision. In this system, one salung was equal to one-quarter of a baht, 2 fuang, 4 pai, 8 att, or 16 solot. Consequently, four salung made up one baht. The denomination was heavily utilized for centuries across the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, the Kingdom of Thonburi, and the Rattanakosin Kingdom before the formal adoption of modern decimalization.

Physical Characteristics and Economic Role

Historically, the earliest salung coins were produced as distinctive bullet coins, known locally as "pod duang". These proto-coins were essentially spherical silver ingots of irregular shape, created by bending silver bars and stamping them with official marks denoting the mint and the ruling dynasty. They did not feature flat images or standard edges. The exact date of their first appearance remains unknown, though some sources suggest they originated between the 14th and 15th centuries. Later, during the 19th century under the reign of King Chulalongkorn, modern machine-struck salung coins in a conventional flat format were introduced following broad monetary reforms. These pieces featured royal emblems, chakra symbols, elephants, royal monograms, and Thai inscriptions. Throughout Siamese history, the salung served as a vital silver denomination, market currency, tax-payment unit, and trade coin, being particularly useful for daily commerce, regional trade, and wage payments.

Transition to Decimal Currency and Legacy

As Siam progressively modernized its monetary system, it introduced decimal accounting methods alongside the new machine-struck coinage. The traditional hierarchy was eventually replaced by a streamlined system where 1 baht equaled 100 satang. Under this new structure, the machine-struck silver salung coins of the early 20th century became exactly equivalent to 25 satang. Nevertheless, the traditional terminology deeply persisted in the culture. In modern Thailand, a 25-satang coin is still colloquially referred to as a "salung" in everyday speech. Today, early bullet-money salungs rank among the most famous and recognizable coins of Southeast Asia, while the transition-era machine-struck specimens are highly prized by numismatists for their historical significance and numerous varieties across different monarchal reigns.