Rohng Krasahp Sitthikahn (โรงกระสาปน์สิทธิการ)

Thai. The first Mint of Siam, later named the Royal Thai Mint, established in 1860 by royal command of King Rama IV (fig.) and located in in the compound of the Grand Palace (Phra Rachawang - fig.) near the eastern Suwan Boriban Gate, situated in front of the Royal Treasury Building, in the same area as the former mint for bullet money (fig.). It was a two-storey brick edifice with an outdoor staircase to the second floor in the front of the building. Siam first used a coin machine to produce flat standard coins in the reign of King Mongkut or King Rama IV when Queen Victoria presented a small operating minting machine as a state gift to King Rama IV. However, the machine was a manual one and consequently had a limited capacity to produce adequate coins to meet the market need. Hence, King Rama IV ordered a complete minting plant from Taylor & Challen Ltd. at 3,000 Pound Sterling. The first Mint was named by King Mongkut (fig.) and equipped with the very first steam-powered coin minting machine in the Kingdom, which was installed to replace the production of the photduang bullet money. However, when this minting machine ordered from Britain was delivered to Thailand toward the end of 1858, the British engineer responsible for its installation had fallen ill and died. Replacement engineers who arrived later also died. Khun Moht Amatyakun (fig.), the country's first photographer who took special interest in machineries and mechanical devices, volunteered to complete the unfinished installation. After successfully completing the job, he was made supervisor of the first Mint, in charge of making money and King Mongkut bestowed him with the title of Phra Wisut Yothamat (พระวิสูตรโยธามาตย์). For his important role in laying a solid foundation to the operation of the Mint during the early years and for his overall contribution to the project, he was in 1868 promoted to the position of Phraya Krasahp Kitkoson (พระยากระสาปนกิจโกศล) by King Rama V (fig.). Due to limited space, King Rama V had a new Mint built in 1875, now known as the Thimdahb Building (fig.) and previously called the New Sitthikarn Mint, which was specially built as a new location to house the Mint and equipped with a new steam-powered coin production machine. It officially opened on 31 May 1876 and was used for the Mint until 1902, when the Mint moved to its new location on Chao Fah Road, in a building that today houses the National Gallery (fig.). It later became the Royal Guards Barracks (fig.), and today houses the Emerald Buddha Temple Museum. After the move to the new or second Mint, the first Mint was for a while used as a hospital and later as a royal storage hall, until it was completely destroyed in a fire, in the year 1897. The first ever round flat-faced coin minted here (fig.) was a coin with on the obverse side an embossed illustration of a chadah-style (fig.) royal crown, known as Phra Maha Mongkut or Phra Maha Phichai Mongkut (fig.), and on the reverse side an elephant inside the inner circle of a chakra (fig.), akin to the former Siamese national flag of a red field with a White Elephant encircled by a chakra (fig.) that was used from 1817 to 1855 (fig.). Initially, the first series of minted coins produced by this Mint was used in conjunction with photduang money, which wasn't abolished until 1908. Also transliterated Rong Krasap Sitthikarn, Rong Krasap Sitthikan, and Rohng Krasaap Sitthikaan. See also POSTAGE STAMPS (1) and (2), and WATCH VIDEO. 回