About Sataphansa Mala Medal, or the Five Reigns Medal
Compiled from partner sources; under review and editing by our team.
Translated from Thai by AI and not yet reviewed by our team. Names and royal titles may need correction.
History
Classed as a royal decoration medal for award as a commemorative keepsake (commonly called a ribbon medal), with the abbreviation ส.ม. (S.M.). King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) graciously ordered it made in R.S. 100 (1881, B.E. 2424) to be awarded as a keepsake for the celebration of the centenary of the establishment of Bangkok as the royal capital, counting from the day the city pillar was set on 21 April 1782 (B.E. 2325), which marked the first hundred years.
Sataphansa Mala medals are found in several metals: gold, silver, copper, silver-gilt, and copper silver-plated (gilding here means a method of coating a metal object with silver or gold). They were awarded to both the Front Court and the Inner Court. The gold type was awarded to persons of the rank of Phra Ong Chao and Chao Phraya and above, while the silver and copper types were awarded to those of lower rank. The Sataphansa Mala is a large, flat, round medal, 6.3 cm in diameter, with 20 rays radiating around the rim. It was worn suspended from a red and white ribbon 3.5 cm wide. It is now an obsolete award, no longer conferred.
The medal shown here is silver-gilt. The obverse bears the royal portraits of Rama I through Rama V, superimposed one upon another.
The reverse bears an inscription stating the purpose of the ceremony. Furthermore, according to the book Thai Royal Decorations, prepared by the Office of the Secretary-General to the Prime Minister:
It was designed by Prince Narisara Nuwattiwong, Krom Phraya (Somdet Chao Fa Krom Phraya Narisara Nuwattiwong).
1) Characteristics: the name "Benson" beneath the portraits must be crisp and sharp, as in the illustration.
2) Genuine medals in silver are very rare. Those usually encountered are copper silver-plated or thickly silver-plated, almost impossible to tell apart. Beware of paying the wrong price.
2) From observation, this medal (ribbon type) exists in at least two dies that are very similar, differing at the tips of the rays on the rim. Their weights also differ considerably.
