NGULTRUM: COIN OF BHUTAN
1 ngultrum, 1979: Kingdom of Bhutan
Ruler: Jigme Singye Wangchuck (འཇིགས་མེད་སེང་གེ་དབང་ཕྱུག) — King of Bhutan (1972-2006).
ONE NGULTRUM.
དངུལ་ཀྲམ འག: one ngultrum (the denomination of the coin is indicated not only in English on the bottom, but also in the official language of Bhutan, Dzongkha, on the top).
The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism and the name of the state in the center: Dharma Wheel, Jewelled Parasol, Golden Fish, Victory Banner, Conch Shell, Endless Knot, Treasure Vase, Lotus Flower.
ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN.
A graphic composition with two important Buddhist Symbols that stylistically resembles the National Emblem of Bhutan: Wheel of Dharma on a Lotus.
Magnetic type of this coin (cheaper to manufacture due to the use of steel as a base; issued in 2002 with the same date — 1979), as opposed to non-magnetic, which is completely made of copper-nickel.
Royal Mint (United Kingdom).
- Copper-nickel plated steel: 28 mm - 7.9 g
- Reference price: 2$
COIN NGULTRUM — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- KINGDOM OF BHUTAN (1979-...): ngultrum = 100 chhertum (firstly — chetrum)
NGULTRUM as coin name.
Ngultrum is the official currency of the Kingdom of Bhutan — a small country between India and China (PRC) in the Himalayas.
Ngultrum was introduced in 1974 instead of the Bhutanese rupee. Divided into 100 chhertum (during 1974-1975 — chetrum).
The current Bhutanese currency is pegged to the Indian rupee at a 1:1 ratio, so the ngultrum is sometimes unofficially referred to as the "Bhutanese rupee". The Ngultrum cannot be exchanged for foreign currencies other than the Indian rupee. By the way, ngultrums, Indian rupees and US dollars are in free use in Bhutan.
The first coin of this denomination was dated 1974 — a copper-nickel ngultrum with the image of the king of Bhutan. In the future, many anniversary/commemorative ngultrums were released, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the UN, the Summer Olympics, the FAO series, the FIFA World Cup...
The name of the ngultrum coin is written as "དངུལ་ཀྲམ" in the local Dzongkha language. The name consists of two parts: the first part ("དངུལ་") translates as "silver", while the second ("ཊམ་") translates as "coin". That is, the name ngultrum is literally translated as "silver coin".
According to its etymology, ngultrum is most closely related to the coin name rupee.
