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1 Lat 1 Tamlung
| Issuer | Lan Xang, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1591-1707 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Billon |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Elongated fusiform (boat- or spindle-shaped) cast billon currency bar, tapering to rounded points at both ends and thickest at the centre. The convex upper surface displays a characteristic rough, pitted texture produced during casting, with scattered raised nodules, irregular flow lines, and bubble-like protrusions distributed across the entire field. No legends, devices, or inscriptions are present; authenticity and denomination were conveyed solely by weight and form. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Irregular |
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| Additional information |
Lan Xang — "Kingdom of a Million Elephants" — dominated the middle Mekong through much of the seventeenth century, controlling lucrative overland trade routes connecting China to the Gulf of Siam. These billon issues functioned within a weight-based monetary system tied to the lat and tamlung units long before European coinage conventions penetrated the interior of mainland Southeast Asia. The kingdom fractured into three competing successor states after 1707, which effectively ends the attribution window for this type.