In 2007, more than 10,000 people camped overnight in a school compound in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, to buy Jatukham Ramathep amulets. The Bangkok Post reported huge crowds at Wat Phra Mahathat, the amulets’ source, while temple bookings for consecration ceremonies were full until the end of the year.
The amulets had first been made in 1987 and gained a reputation for protection and prosperity. During the 2007 craze, belief in their power combined with expectations of resale value. Hotels filled on weekends, and the trade was estimated to inject 100 million baht a week into the local economy.
The candidate catalogue places the subject in the late twentieth century, but the securely documented mass queue occurred in 2007, so the article corrects the chronology rather than forcing the evidence. A tiny object promised security; the line magnified its market value. Devotion and speculation spent the night on the same ground.
Increasing supply did not necessarily cool the craze. New editions and consecration dates created fresh scarcity, while the visible queue advertised popularity to the next buyer.
Quality check: The Bangkok Post record dated 9 April 2007 directly documents people waiting overnight in Nakhon Si Thammarat for the popular amulet sale.