Satangs

[richard]

What do you do with them?

Is it an insult to give them away in tips?

[pharvey]

Still got a few 1 Satang coins from a few years back, but haven't seen that denomination for quite a while! Can't say you'd get a lot with them these days!

When I was working in Thailand in the late 90's, I used to drop the loose/small change (including Satangs) in an empty wine wine bottle - surprising how many you collect over the months (both bottles and coinage!!). I used to then give the bottle to the hotel/guesthouse staff to do with as they wanted..... always went down well!

[PeteC]

Many hotels, restaurants and retail stores have a variety of charity boxes at the check out areas. We usually drop ours in there. As an option we do have an older Thai relative who is a bit 'off' and giving her a can of small coins to count will keep her busy for days. Pete

[Spitfire]

Almost no point having them these days, you can use them in places like Tesco/7-11 or places that have decimal points in the prices.

Tesco used to let you change them to baht at the inquires/bag deposit desk, don't know if they still do.

7-11 let you change them too, seen Thais doing it many times.

Always think that the satang coins must cost more to make than they are actually worth.

Pharvey - You'll probably find a 1 satang coin is a collectors item now, probably worth 100 baht etc, like 10 baht notes or those special 60 baht notes they issued a while back.

[sandman67]

I routinely empty all my shrapnel into a bowl, Mrs S then empties the bowl into one of her numerous piggy banks. When the kids come down they use those as their ice cream and pop fund, and then bank all the rest when they go back home.

Then the cycle starts again.

[hhfarang]

I've used a few of them as a conductor in these cheap ceiling light fixtures used here when the spring goes bad. You just stick a satang between the butt of the bulb and the fixture and it lights again. Tricky bit is balancing the satang on the end of the bulb without dropping it whilst screwing it into the fixture!

[STEVE G]

I take them up to the village and give them to the kids; there are still some small snacks they can buy from the shop for 5 baht.

[margaretcarnes]

Almost no point having them these days, you can use them in places like Tesco/7-11 or places that have decimal points in the prices.

Tesco used to let you change them to baht at the inquires/bag deposit desk, don't know if they still do.

7-11 let you change them too, seen Thais doing it many times.

Always think that the satang coins must cost more to make than they are actually worth.

Pharvey - You'll probably find a 1 satang coin is a collectors item now, probably worth 100 baht etc, like 10 baht notes or those special 60 baht notes they issued a while back.

I had a browse round collectors stalls in Chiang Mai last trip and don't remember seeing many 1 satang coins then. I'm sure you're right about them being collectable now. You still see 10 baht notes for sale - and the 60 baht - definitely increasing in price.
The first 60 baht note I had in the 90's didn't cost much more than face value. 18 months ago in CM they were selling for about 200/300 baht. But they were issued for His Majesties 60th birthday so are over 20 years old now.
Older Thai people do still think in Satang though - especially when it comes down to the value of old newspapers/bottles.