One Sunday in Bangkok, I went down to the railway station to buy some tickets for other destinations in Thailand. Returning to my hostel, I took the wrong exit from the Sky train, and so found myself wandering through the biggest amulet market in Bangkok, and hence almost certainly in Thailand, and in the world. Over a very large area - probably some acres, though I did not explore the full extent of it - there are table top stalls in every conceivable spot. Down both sides of every pavement; alongside alleyways; packed into the market area proper; and with the gaps being filled by the out of a suitcase hucksters. Every single one of these stalls (and there must be low thousands of them) is selling amulets to the vast, knowledgeable, expert, fanatic crowd of Thai amulet collectors.
Most of the amulets on sale seem to be flat and about 5mm long. They do go up regularly to about 2cm in size, though much less frequently than the small ones. Each stall may have one or two bigger amulets - up to statuettes about 30cm high. So in total, there is on sale, every Sunday, a few million amulets. The devotees spend a massive amount of time going through the stalls, examining the wares on offer. This usually seems to involve examination under a powerful hand lens on all sides; comparing the amulet on offer to the remainder of the stalls offerings; discussion; negotiation; and all the infrastructure of the fanatic collector in full pursuit of his (almost invariably as customers; not always so as vendors) obsession.
I have no idea what makes an amulet special, collectible, or which differentiates it from the everyday amulet. It could be antiquity; craftmanship; precious material; the amount of luck it brings; the maker; or just because it seems nice. There are at least five large circulation magazines - three of them weekly, the other two monthly - supporting the market, and appealing to the discerning cognoscenti. These, to judge from their marketing in main stationers, railway stations, and supermarkets, have circulations comparable to those of the popular home and women's magazines.
Altogether, one of the quirkier aspects of cultural difference I have seen so far on my travels.
Altogether, one of the quirkier aspects of cultural difference I have seen so far on my travels.