Thai telephone tokens
General introduction
Telephone communication in Thailand started in 1881 with a telephone line laid between Bangkok and Paknam, in Samut Prakan, a short distance south of Bangkok. It was the responsibility of the Telephone Technical Unit of the Post and Telegraph Department. In 1954 (BE 2497), a new organisation was founded: Telecom of Thailand Public Company Limited (ทีโอที) of the the Ministry of Transport and Communications. In 2002, TOT lost its monopoly, becoming a state-owned enterprise. TOT hosts Thailand's mobile network. In 2009, TOT became Thailand’s first 3G mobile phone service provider.
Introduction of the tokens
In view of the Postal horn, type TTT1 tokens may well have been issued by the Telephone Technical Unit of the Post and Telegraph Department before 1954. The others are marked as issues of Telecom of Thailand. All tokens have smooth edges. They all have a central hole with a diameter of 6.2mm. It is not known what the winged crowned arms logo represents. Thai telephone tokens may have a parts number or a serial and date sequence, with the date being expressed in the Buddhist Era (BE)[1]. The following table shows Thai numerals.
Latin | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Thai | ๐ | ๑ | ๒ | ๓ | ๔ | ๕ | ๖ | ๗ | ๘ | ๙ |
Telecommunication in Thailand in Wikipedia
- ↑ To convert a date from the Christian era (AD) to BE add 543. To convert a BE date to the AD system, subtract 543.
References
We have made much use of A catalog of telephone and telegraph tokens of the world by H.A. Groenendijk, 2nd edition, 2001, adding our own background research. The book is available from World of Coins
Catalogue
Thai telephone tokens | ||
---|---|---|
File:TTT1.jpg | ||
Filename | TTT1 | |
Side 1 | logo, postal horn | |
Side 2 | Part number | |
Manufacture | Copper-zinc | |
Size (mm) | 17 | |
Weight (grams) | ||
Notes | Number known: 38586 | |
Source | Groenendijk | |
Filename | TTT2 | |
Side 1 | logo, ทศท - TOT | |
Side 2 | โทรศัพท์สาธารณะ - public telephone, part number | |
Manufacture | Copper-zinc | |
Size (mm) | 17 | |
Weight (grams) | ||
Notes | Numbers known: 22956, 73990, 82657, 112627, 128393, 141744, 171977 | |
Source | Groenendijk | |
Filename | TTT3 | |
Side 1 | logo, ทศท - TOT | |
Side 2 | โทรศัพท์สาธารณะ - public telephone, series number and date | |
Manufacture | Copper-zinc | |
Size (mm) | 17 | |
Weight (grams) | ||
Notes | series/date sequences known: 1/2503, 2/2503, 1/2504, 1/2506, 1/2507, 2/2507, 1/2508, 1/2509, 1/2510, 1/2511, 1/2512, 1/2513, 1/2514, 1/2515, 1/2516. TTT3 Varieties. | |
Source | Oesho |