Ancient Siamese Bronze Buddha
Please read the narrative below

"Buddha shown here in the Bhumisparsha mudra position.
The right hand, placed upon the right knee in earth-pressing mudra, and
complemented by the left hand-which is held flat in the lap in the
dhyana mudra of meditation, symbolizes the union of method and wisdom."
 

This view shows that the clay placed inside the figurine when it was made
is still intact...  Many Thai (Siamese) believe that the Monk who made Buddha
images placed some item of great importance inside the hollow image and then
sealed it with clay.

In 1972 while I was superintendent of a laboratory in Thailand, we had a young man
who did daily cleaning   We became friends.  He was very trustworthy and reliable.
One day he failed to show up for work and we were concerned for his well-being.
The next day he came back but was very remorse during the early hours of his shift.
When asked, he told me that his wife was expecting very soon and he had gone to
the Temple to pray for a safe delivery and a healthy child.  During prayer he let slip
the small green glass Buddha which he held and it shattered into many pieces.  He
was convinced that this would offend Buddha and the wellbeing of his child would
be endangered.  Tearfully, he showed me the glass shards which he had collected.  I
assured him that we could reassemble his broken Buddha.  We worked well past
our normal day's end but, with super-glue and patience, we fitted every single shard
back into it's proper place.  The young man was elated and visibly showed his
gratitude.

The next day, the young janitor came into my office obviously overjoyed, his handsome
brown face alight with smiles.  He related that he had gone back to his Temple and felt
assured of Buddha's forgiveness.  He handed me the bronze Buddha shown here and insisted
that I accept it as a token of his gratitude for saving his child.  Understanding well the Thai
concept of fairness, I would have offended him had I not accepted the gracious gift.

He asked that I never try to remove the interior blockage of dried clay.  Of course I never
shall!

In my stupidity however, I did once ask a Thai jeweler friend the value of the figurine.
He said that it had no value and that it had infinite value.  Buddha, he said, should be
respected as God's messenger but should never be sold.