Two-baht Coin To Be Introduced

[george]

Two-baht coin to be introduced

BANGKOK: -- The government plans to introduce a two-baht coin in 2005. A government study on the pros and cons of the production of two-baht coins is being finalized, said the director-general of the Treasury Department, Wisudhi Srisuphan. The study found that a two-baht coin would increase consumers’ convenience and improve coin circulation in the country.

The total value of coins in the market now amounts to 14 billion baht, with 54% of this being one-baht coins. However, there are more constraints on the use of one-baht coins than the 5 baht and 10 baht coins.

The Treasury Department says it is ready to start the production of the new coins. The Ministry of Finance will soon submit the study to the cabinet for its consideration.

While 2005 is the target for the introduction of the two-baht coin, further studies on production technology and pattern will be explored to reduce the amount of metal used because of the rising costs of nickel and copper on the world market.

--TNA 2004-06-18

[Wolfie]

Two baht coin is a good idea, a 5,000baht note is better...

just my 2baht (coin)

[Connor McCloud]

I second that motion.

I'm just of to the bank to pay 165,000 baht into someones account.I lost count twice due to telephone calls.

[NedKelly]

Lucky they dont do what Myanmar did back in the eighties.........introduce wierd denominations like 35 kyat notes........they made other notes obsolete overnight.......so bad luck if you had a draw full of the usual notes. They were toilet paper overnight.

If they collected all the one baht coins that are in bottles and boxes in eevryones home the economy would pick up by a percentage point. And get rid of those awful bronze 25 and 50 satang coins.

[stumonster]

is there some mix up in communication here?

I have two 2 baht coins in my possession right now, they are the same diameter as a 1 baht coin but twice as thick?

have I got some fakes? cause they sure look real. I got them in change from two places in pak kret last week.

[sbk]

Better to spend the money adding more 10 baht coins into circulation. Or more 50 baht notes. Never can find enough of those outside Bangkok.

[duncaw]

How is the introduction of a two baht coin going to "increase consumers' confidence"?????

Sounds like somebody took the fee for that "study" and spent it down the boozer.

Where do I submit my bid for the next study on production technology?

[john b good]

What a half arsed idea.

Two baht coins.

The ###### in the treasury can't have very much to do.

BUT then again TIT

[marquess]

A three thousand baht note would be very handy

[Axel]

When I pay my 40-Baht toll-way fee with forty 1-Baht coins, they never look happy. Maybe 20 x 2 Baht coins will do the trick?

[Johpa]

When I pay my 40-Baht toll-way fee with forty 1-Baht coins, they never look happy. Maybe 20 x 2 Baht coins will do the trick?

Next time pay them with satang coins to see how big they smile.

[john b good]

When I pay my 40-Baht toll-way fee with forty 1-Baht coins, they never look happy. Maybe 20 x 2 Baht coins will do the trick?

Next time pay them with satang coins to see how big they smile.

In Chiangmai they introduced some time back a time based parking charge at the railway station.

Minimum charge 10 baht for even just driving in/out.

And tied in with the fact that most TRT trains are up to and hour and a half late the fee can be quite significant.

I always have 25 satang coins at the ready and they just go ape sh*t. (in some countries there is a limit on the amount of small coins that can be offered up as slegal tender, do they have such a thing here?)

Alternatively pull out a 1,000 Baht note and offer that up. Almost the same response as the 25 satang coins gets.

The sheer lunacy of the whole thing is that most often the car park is close to being empty (except for the song taews) with the majority of vehicles parking on the other side of the building "free"

[Whitey]

I think the 2 baht coin is a stupid idea. I think it would be better to put the effort into a 20 baht coin.

[john b good]

I think the 2 baht coin is a stupid idea. I think it would be better to put the effort into a 20 baht coin.

Agreed.

You have my vote.

[Longsands]

There was a 2 baht coin quite a few years ago, the about size of the older, larger 1 baht coin: however they proved very unpopular and were withdrawn.

[12call]

The 2 bhatters have been in circulation now 2 weeks.Old News.

[astral]

There was a 2 baht coin quite a few years ago, the about size of the older, larger 1 baht coin: however they proved very unpopular and were withdrawn.

Two baht coins were around in the late 80's.

So the article should have said "2 baht coin to be re-introduced".

Even the journalists are so young they do not remembe these things,

or they just trot out what the government says, without a thought for veracity?

[Axel]

When I pay my 40-Baht toll-way fee with forty 1-Baht coins, they never look happy. Maybe 20 x 2 Baht coins will do the trick?

Next time pay them with satang coins to see how big they smile.

Don't worry, I use 25 and 50 satang coins as well. Perhaps I am stingy, on the other hand, I pay monthly Baht 3-4000 in coins, only for toll fees.

[KevinN]

Sounds like a stupid idea to me,We have small plastic bags,and other small containers in our house and a bag in the car where 1 baht coins seem to end up,as well as satangs,even the kid won't spend them.

In the united states there are large hords of pennys as all children seem to save them,people will not take time to sort them out when charged odd amounts and the gov't is always crying about the pennys being kept and not used in circulation and the cost of making more,Banks will not even take them unless you roll them into 100 coin tubes,which they used to do with a machine,now you have to do it by hand,or invest in a coin sorting/counting machine.

In Mexico even children will not pay attention to anything less than 10 peso and the smaller coins are thrown in the streets and yards instead of carried in your pocket and spent.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

And if you want to bank a heap of coins many banks want to charge you a nuisance value fee.

[Phil Conners]

2 baht coins? What a dumb idea. Drop all coins below 5 bahts, they don't buy anything anyway.

PS. Nobody in Pattaya will take the 25 and 50 satang coins except the cashiers in the big supermarkets (to pay exact, not 2 x 50 satang for one baht).

[Axel]

A great economic impact comes to my mind.

All specials will be reduced from Baht 99 to 98

[kempos]

if you drop all coins under 5 baht all prices will go up to the nearest 5 baht (how would you pay for something that costs 8 bht?)

think sometimes before writing something stupid.

[kenk3z]

Are Satang coins still in common circulation? I didn't see any my last trip - most vendors looked pained to deal with the one-baht coins, much less satangs.

I'd like to collect a few good satang coins just to have for show. Where would you recommend going where they actually give you satangs in change?

(This post is totally unrelated to my other recent post about how to efficiently break up 1000-baht notes for small purchases. )

kenk3z

[LindsayBKK]

Yes I also agree 2 baht is a silly waste of money and they should get rid of the one baht to make the smallest a 5 bht.

But saying that at least now when my Thai friends ask me if I want to go for "song baht" I can show my 2 bht coin and say "chai khup mee song baht laew"!

[sabaijai]

Are Satang coins still in common circulation?  I didn't see any my last trip - most vendors looked pained to deal with the one-baht coins, much less satangs.

I'd like to collect a few good satang coins just to have for show.  Where would you recommend going where they actually give you satangs in change?

(This post is totally unrelated to my other recent post about how to efficiently break up 1000-baht notes for small purchases.    )

kenk3z

Oh yes you still see 25- and 50-satang coins a lot at grocery store checkouts, 7-11, etc.

[psychosid10]

Rather than speculating on why the 2 baht coin should not have been introduced , lets think why was it introduced at the first place.. what can be the obvious reason for introducing the 2 baht coin ..

Are they trying to flush out the 1 baht coins over a period of time ? Or is it just another think to MAKE A CHANGE .. ?

i am not sure what it is ? but some how i feel it wont make any difference apart from some confusing moments...

[Maestro]

Yes I also agree 2 baht is a silly waste of money and they should get rid of the one baht to make the smallest a 5 bht.

Who, I wonder, is going to tell the British to get rid of their 1/2p, 1p and 2p coins? Who is going to tell the USA and other countries to eliminate their smallest-denomination coins?

A 2-Baht coin makes a lot of sense to me. If this denomination did not become popular in the past it was, I believe, because those were commemorative issues with a limited volume, and the very first issue was of such bad quality that nobody wanted to use it: the metal rubbed off far too easily on the fingers. I had a whole bag full of that first issue but can’t find them any more; I believe it hat two princesses on it.

The attached picture is a scan of two coins issued in 1985.

There ought to be a website where all the Thai coins are shown but I cannot find it. Can anyone post the link?

[Fried Rice]

This might be an Image of the new 2 baht coin. But I am not positive.

I found it on a Thai website, maybe someone that can read Thai can confirm if the website does say it is the new 2 bahter.

Website

[Judge]

Yes I also agree 2 baht is a silly waste of money and they should get rid of the one baht to make the smallest a 5 bht.

As if the natives needed another reason to raise prices by 100% and more instead of gradual increments like in civilized countries!