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A Beginner’s Guide to Thai Amulet Collecting

You'd only have to be on Thai soil for a few minutes before stumbling upon a Thai amulet, be it hanging from the rear view mirror of a taxi or dangling around the neck of a young “entrepreneur” hoping to attract luck into his life.

Amulets can fetch upwards of 1 million Baht, depending on their origin and age.

There are conventions, numerous monthly publications reselling and educating on everything “lucky” and collectable, and an abundance of enthusiasts selling on the street in areas such as China Town.

Amulets are more that just lucky charms. This is big business, much of which has little to do with Buddhism.

thai-amulets

How much is this haul worth? Sorry for the quality. This is a picture I snapped in 2009 in poor lighting, on an old phone!

Where Does Buddhism Fit Into the Thai Amulet Trade?

The modern day Thai amulet trade is primarily about making money and selling the superstition surrounding luck.

Buddhism considers the superstition of amulets as unconscious, as opposed to the higher consciousness of the path of the Buddha.

Buddhism also considers the trading of Buddha images for financial gain to be superficial and offensive to Buddhist tradition. For this reason, Thai amulet collecting is described in Thai as “borrowing” rather than buying.

Thai amulets containing Buddhist imagery are supposed to remind the individual of the path of the Buddha and of his or her commitment to this path.

According to Buddhism, amulets do not contain special powers and only karma can determine one's life path.

The perceived “magic” of amulets actually has its roots in Brahmanic traditions.

Each batch of amulets produced in a temple must be done so by blessed, cleansed individuals.

The amulets are then blessed by monks before being handed out to congregators (probably for a donation). I'm not sure if batches are made in temples for specific distribution within the amulet industry.

Why I Am Interested in Thai Amulets?

Well, I like collectable things and I enjoy history. These little charms fascinate me, and for some time I have been trying to figure out how one can tell what an amulet is worth, where it's from and whether it's authentic or not.

I am not in the market to buy, though, because I'm 100% sure I'd end up paying well over the odds and getting it all very wrong.

I'm really struggling to see how the eye glass helps to identify the origin and age of an amulet. Are there specific markings one should look for?

I have searched online for information, but at best I can only find English written warnings to beware of fakes, to not trust magazine pictures and to be careful of buying mass produced amulets that aren't made in temples.

The materials used for fakes and authentic amulets are apparently  the same, making it easier for a sucker like me to get ripped off. That said, the materials mix used to make the real amulets is kept a secret on each batch.

Apparently experts know how to spot real markings, and obviously they know the issue history of  different amulet series. Another reoccurring warning I found in my research is to look out for sellers who are “selling” the luck/magic aspect of the amulet over its heritage.

Enthusiasts claim that genuine sellers are genuinely interested in promoting an authentic resale market, along with properly representing the Buddhist faith – I'm sure there's a slight contradiction in that claim.

I read in one book that there have been a few series of amulets issued by the King over the course of his reign. These have been distributed to members of the aristocracy and leading army figures. Owing one of these is sure to be worth a fair packet.

Amulets worth collecting are of course the rarer ones, such as those issued in limited runs, usually to commemorate the passing of well-respected monks or to mark commemorative days linked to the monarchy.

All said and done it's a huge business. But sadly little information is available for westerners to learn and get involved because it's essentially a “Thai-centric” hobby.

However, I am hoping that a few enthusiasts (or anyone with more knowledge than myself) might land on this page and contribute some information in the comments section, so that foreigners like myself can get an insight to one of Thailand most revered collectables.

An Insightful Thai Amulet Documentary

The documentary below provides additional insight to the industry and answers many questions that I can't. It's also produced by Thai students, so the research is thorough and from a native understanding. It's only 10 minutes long too. Enjoy!



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  1. M Hortig says

    I have heard/read that the authentic blessed amulets have a thumbprint of the sponsor monk. I have quite a few without thumbprint (not expensive), and have looked at many but never saw the thumbprint. I have only seen pictures.
    Reply

  2. M Hortig says

    I would like to relate an amulet story. When in the AF in Ubon in the 70"s we had a Thai friend who insisted that the amulets were magic and would protect the wearer. Of course we were doubtful. So he called a policeman friend who came and showed us his fully loaded gun to inspect and he fires one shot successfully. Then he placed an amulet in the target area. My friend (a Texas cowboy) took the gun, aimed at the amulet, and pulled the trigger. The gun would not fire! Coincidence, probably, but a good tale none the less.
    Reply

  5. nick says

    I would like to share my personal experience wearing a lp thuad amulet given by my good frd ( who frequents thai temples to contribute $ to build n refurbish them).

    the night the incident happen was when my wife n myself (I was wearing the lp thuad amulet) was riding a cab heading to a traffic light n the cab was ready to turn right, a voice suddenly sounded me off of a apparent accident that was going to happen. I quickly turn mybhead frantically to look for any dangers, but nothing happened.

    my wife saw this n asked me what happened? I just replied, "nothing". after the right turn, the cab again stop at another traffic light n was waiting to turn right to the pie Expressway, but out of a sudden a loud bang n crash, our cab was hit from the back by a bmw.

    the driver n us was dazed n shocked for a while, my wife suffered a headache, while my back hurt. the driver seems alright n went out to check the condition of his vehicle. I too went out to check, n to our surprise, the Hyundai cab only suffered a few minor scratches n the bumper was in very good condition. but the bmw vehicle driven by a nasty druken woman has a damaged headlight n the front bumper was badly dented.
    I will skip the details about the confrontation with the nasty driver n get to the voice that warned me b4 the accident n how the cab only suffered a few scartches n all of us was apparently unhurt in the accident when the bmw looked quite badly damaged from the supposingly strong impact.
    strangely from then onwards, I have been receiving many amulets from frds n customers, amulets now seems to like to follow me wherever I go n I prayed to them daily asking from protection n good health. 😁
    Reply

  6. John says

    Just curious, Are Thai amulets and other amulets the same?, i heard Thai amulets only chants the Initial Mantra and Kata and other amulets Chanting the Four Elements : Power of the North , South ,East and West which is the Earth , Air , Fire and Water.

    Does Thai Amulets using this 4 Elements too??

    please advice and thanks!!
    Reply

  7. Billy says

    I am not an expert on Thai amulets, but I would like to offer a bit of advice. I have been wearing my set of amulets for more than 50 years. I have had a very good life with a few near-death experiences. I could easily attribute my good luck to my amulets, but who knows. Millionaires who die in car accidents or who are murdered were often wearing very expensive amulets that they believed would protect them. I guess it comes down to belief, which cannot be proven scientifically. All of my amulets were given to me by monks, friends, and strangers. If I were ever planning to buy (i.e. "rent") an amulet, I would always take a Thai expert with me. Many men who use a magnifying eye-piece, have no idea what they are looking for, so don't be fooled. If you wear them on a necklace, remember that Thai culture dictates that you must attach an odd number of them (1, 3, 5, 7) every time you wear the necklace. If you wear too many (e.g. more than 7), some people may believe you have sinned many times and you are afraid you will die and go to Buddhist Hell because of your bad deeds.
    Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Interesting, I didn't know that about wearing an odd number. I think most would agree that to a degree we make our own luck in this world, but there's also a lot that's out of our hands. As my grandma used to say; it's "all swings and roundabouts".
      Reply

    • Boo says

      I purchased two on line it was on Facebook. Even before they had arrived I saw the faces of the spirits in my vision while laying in bed. When opening the package I felt very strong energy. I had to get rid of them they were pure evil. And the energy was negative Uncomfortable and painful. they created havoc opening doors moving things around and causing misfortune.
      I performed a ritual When I sent them off their way, and the energy has been much better ever since.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      Getting them appraised is as problematic as buying them, because you need to find a trusted dealer, known for his/her honesty. I don't know of any. Sorry. Perhaps someone else following these comments does.
      Reply

    • TheThailandLife says

      They most likely would be genuine, as in they were made for a temple, a specific monk or auspicious day (and blessed by a monk), but the value will depend on how rare they are, the demand for them, and to some degree the material used.
      Reply

  10. kelvin says

    some are said to posses powers for healing, wealth, love, happy life etc.

    So if you cant afford the full price of these rare amulets then you can rent them - when you luck turns around you can give them back

    believe it or not!!
    Reply

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