As the name has it, the Bank of Thailand displays the story of the monetary evolution in Thailand. The Museum is a unique and interesting exhibit of Thai Money; young and old. It gives you a glimpse of history; of the beginning of trade and of the beginning of money. There are a few artifacts that go as far back as the 1st century. The collection at the Bank of Thailand Museum is certainly a must see for all those visiting Bangkok.
The Bank of Thailand is located at the Bangkhunphrom Palace itself. Although it is one location dedicated to a rather staid profession, it is an absolutely intriguing place to explore from the beginning to the end. Perhaps it is the way the bank exhibits its artifacts that gets its guests captivated; the entire world of money is displayed to you like a story. It starts with the days of the Barter trade. This took place somewhere in the first century and pretty much everything was used for exchange with the other. This includes seeds, glass beads, bracelets and more. You can see these mediums of exchange displayed alongside the more familiar Funan Coins, Sri Vijaya Coins and other Coins from the Sukhothai period. This was the first introduction of Thailand to traditional money. Next came the Bullet Coins; as the era changes from Sukhothai to Rattanakosin these were the coins that were in use at the time. You can also find here coins from the Lanna Kingdom in the North. Slowly from the world of Coins, the world of Notes were dawned and as the diplomatic ties grew so did the notes and in 1858 Thailand got its first very own minting machine thanks to Britain’s Queen Victoria.
The Bank Museum is only open to a maximum of 10 people at a time due to limited space and resources. The mere artistic building itself, which was the former residence of Prince Paribatra’s, is something that can be admired. Touring the Bank of Thailand Museum is most certainly something worth experiencing. When you are visiting Bangkok, stay at the Citadines Sukhumvit 23 Bangkok. This Bangkok serviced apartment is the finest Sukhumvit accommodation available in the city.
Umanga Kahandawaarachchi is a passionate travel writer who writes under the pen name, Maggie Tulliver. Her field of writing covers a wide array of content and articles related to travel and hospitality industry.