King Mongkut, Rama IV, is honoured in Thailand as a patron of science, and on the obverse of this 20 baht his full title ends with words that translate roughly as «the great scholar-king of Siam». The coin marks the 60th anniversary of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT); it is dated BE 2563 (2020) and was released on 1 December 2021.

The obverse shows Rama IV in a half-left bust. The reverse carries the university emblem, which repeats King Mongkut’s personal seal: a crown flanked by tiered royal umbrellas, set within a double ring of Thai and English lettering. The anniversary date on the coin is 4 February 2563.

The university grew out of Thonburi Technical College, opened on 4 February 1960 under the Ministry of Education. In 1971 the college became the Thonburi campus of King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, and it later developed into an independent university under its present name.

Two more commemorative 20 baht coins dated 2563 appeared on the same day, for the centenary of the Ministry of Commerce and the 70th anniversary of the National Economic and Social Development Council. This one also suits topical collections: a portrait of Rama IV, one of the best known kings of the Chakri dynasty, is not a frequent sight on modern 20 baht coins.

This example is Uncirculated: no signs of circulation, mint lustre intact, with at most minor storage marks. The portrait and the small bilingual lettering on the reverse keep the sharpness they had when struck.

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