The Treasury Department plans to mint commemorative coins to mark the cremation ceremony for His Majesty King Bhumibol .
No cremation date has been announced yet, but it is likely it will be held after the one-year mourning period.
The new coins will have an illustration of the royal crematorium designed by the Fine Arts Department (FAD) on their reverse side.
Four types of coins will be minted — 99%-pure gold, silver, and both small and large-sized bronze.
The number of coins produced will depend on advance orders and the lowest price for a coin will be set at 100 baht .
Ordinary coins carrying the portrait of King Rama IX will still circulate in the system and are likely to do so for between seven and nine years .
The FAD also plan to mint 200,000 more cupronickel coins which commemorate the 70th anniversary of His Majesty’s reign, following high demand for the coins.
Around 2.8 million cupronickel coins, a mixture of copper and nickel, to mark the event have already been sold.
In addition, 10,000 gold coins and 50,000 silver coins made for the same occasion were also sold out, though these kinds of coins will no longer be produced.
The FAD still has 24 types of commemorative coins, totalling three to four million, linked to the late King. These are still available for purchase.
For those looking to have a memento of His Majesty , while at the same time making an investment for the future, these coins will provide an ideal opportunity.
(With thanks to the Bangkok Post)