 In 1832 , commercial shipper Edmund Roberts began acting as an envoy to Asia on behalf of the United States government , with the intent of negotiating trade deals in the region . During his mission , he reached deals both with Said bin Sultan , the Sultan of Muscat and Oman , and the Phra Khlang of Siam ( modern Thailand ) , an important financial minister of that nation . Roberts was given items which were to be presented as gifts to the officials with whom he was negotiating , but described them as being of " very mean quality , and of inconsiderable value " . After the treaties were ratified in the United States , Roberts had to return to Siam and Muscat to receive approval from the representatives of those nations . In a letter to the Department of State dated October 8 , 1834 , Roberts decried the gifts of his previous journey as inadequate and insulting to his hosts in the Orient . In addition to several other items , he requested a set of coins as an appropriate offering to Said bin Sultan : 
