Phra Kring Awalokitesvara 1st Issue (Tibetan Goddess of Mercy) – Luang Por Kasem – Year 2518 B.E. – Made of SILVER (Only 199 pieces made in the world)

This remarkable piece belongs to one of the most highly regarded cast amulet issues associated with Luang Por Kasem, a revered holy monk widely respected throughout Northern Thailand for his unwavering discipline, ascetic practice, and profound spiritual attainment.

Born into the royal lineage of Lampang, Luang Por Kasem carried noble blood by birth, yet chose a life of complete renunciation. Despite his heritage, he abandoned worldly comforts entirely, dedicating his life to cultivation, meditation, and the service of others. His famous teaching remains deeply remembered: a monk requires nothing more than his saffron robes and his alms bowl.

Among the many amulets created under his blessing, this cast image is, in our opinion, one of the most artistically accomplished and spiritually significant examples ever produced.

Three material variants were issued:

1. Solid Gold — Estimated to have less than 10 pieces made in the world
2. Silver — Only 199 pieces made in the world
3. Nawaloha — Only 999 pieces made in the world

The featured specimen is the highly important Silver variant, with only 199 pieces ever produced in the world.

What elevates this example even further is its condition.

For cast amulets produced roughly half a century ago using primitive casting methods, pieces of this calibre are extraordinarily difficult to encounter. Silver examples in particular are widely known among advanced collectors to present far greater casting irregularities than the more commonly encountered Nawaloha variants. Incomplete contours, softened details, air bubbles, uneven surfaces, and structural casting flaws are frequently observed across surviving examples.

This is due to the traditional casting process itself: molten metal was manually poured into moulds, where air pressure and uneven metal flow often prevented complete formation. As a result, a large proportion of the original 199 silver pieces emerged with partial details or imperfections directly from the casting stage.

This featured specimen is a rare exception.

The image is beautifully and completely formed, with all major features fully present, sharply expressed, and structurally balanced. Surface integrity is outstanding, and the silver has developed a naturally matured aged texture scattered gracefully across the entire image.. An attribute highly appreciated by serious collectors who value originality over intervention.

The intricacy visible throughout the sculpture is especially noteworthy. Such completeness is not merely a matter of preservation, but also a product of exceptional fortune during the original casting itself: the precise amount of molten silver must fill the mould evenly while avoiding trapped air that would otherwise create voids or bubbling.

To encounter a silver example with this degree of completeness and preservation is exceptionally uncommon.

This important image was blessed in B.E. 2518 (1975 A.D.), during a grand consecration ceremony, and depicts Avalokiteśvara, one of the most universally venerated bodhisattvas in Buddhism.

Avalokitesvara embodies the compassion of all Buddhas and is represented through many manifestations across Buddhist cultures. In Chinese tradition, this compassionate bodhisattva is widely revered as Guanyin, while in Japan the same figure is known as Kannon. Across traditions, Avalokitesvara remains one of the most spiritually significant protective figures in Buddhist iconography.

Within the Thai amulet world, this B.E. 2518 first issue Avalokitesvara / Phra Kring Awalow is widely recognised as one of the most important and desirable cast images ever associated with Luang Por Kasem.

Its importance lies not only in spiritual symbolism, but in the combination of first-issue status, sculptural beauty, technical difficulty, and true rarity.