Chang and Eng – 1 Troy Ounce Silver Round
Explore the Famous Circus Sideshow Acts collection
Few names from nineteenth-century exhibition history traveled as far as Chang and Eng Bunker. Intaglio Mint’s portrait round recalls the brothers whose international fame made an enduring mark on popular culture, presenting their likeness together in one troy ounce of .999 fine silver.
From Siam to an International Audience
Born in 1811 in Siam, now Thailand, Chang and Eng were conjoined twins. Their birthplace and public billing popularized the historical expression “Siamese twins.” In 1829, Scottish trader Robert Hunter and American sea captain Abel Coffin brought them abroad, beginning a career that introduced the brothers to audiences in America and Europe.
Their story extended beyond the exhibition platform. After working under promoters, they took greater control of their own business affairs. In 1839 they settled in North Carolina, where they established households and later married sisters Adelaide and Sarah Anne Yates. Between the two marriages, the brothers had twenty-one children.
Their North Carolina lives also belonged to the complicated history of the antebellum South: they owned enslaved people who worked on their property. Remembering the brothers as historical individuals means recognizing that wider context alongside the celebrity created by their tours and portraits.
Obverse Design
The obverse features the familiar paired image of Chang and Eng, with their names above. The portrait emphasizes the two men together, translating an image associated with nineteenth-century publicity into a compact silver relief.
Reverse Design
“FAMOUS CIRCUS SIDESHOW ACTS” appears against a circus-tent background. The hallmark follows the lower circumference, connecting the portrait to the shared design of Intaglio Mint’s historical sideshow collection.
Specifications
- Weight: 1.00 troy ounce
- Thickness: 3.10 mm
- Purity: .999 fine silver
- Edge: Reeded
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated
