The Bank of Thailand announced on March 8 that it received permission from King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, or Rama X, to issue a new series of bank notes bearing his image. This will be the 17th series of Thai bank notes and will be the first to feature the portrait of Maha Vajiralongkorn, who succeeded his late father, Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016, after a 70-year reign. 

The new series consists of 20-, 50-, 100-, 500-, and 1,000-baht notes. The faces of all denominations will have a forward-facing bust of the king in his Royal Thai Air Force uniform. The backs are a testament to the continuity of the Chakri Dynasty, which began with Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok, or Rama I, in 1782. Each denomination will show the portraits of two kings in order of reign, accompanied by vignettes of some of their historically memorable royal duties.

Seeing doubled elements on a Lincoln cent? You might have a doubled die variety, of which hundreds of different of varieties both common and rare exist. Also in this issue, we reflect on a time when U.S. paper money depicted living persons.

The size, color and most security features of the new series remain unchanged, but a few anti-counterfeiting measures have been added, including a security thread on both sides, an extra moving effect on the thread for the 100-baht note, and vertical serial numbers beginning with the letter “A.”

The three lower denominations will be issued on Chakri Memorial Day, a national holiday, set for April 6. The 500- and 1,000-baht notes will follow on the king’s birthday, July 28.

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