Laos is a Southeast Asian country traversed by the Mekong River and known for mountainous terrain, French colonial architecture, hill tribe settlements, and Buddhist monasteries. Vientiane, the capital, is the site of the That Luang monument, where a reliquary reportedly houses the Buddha’s breastbone, plus the Patuxai war memorial and Talat Sao (Morning Market), a complex jammed with food, clothes, and craft stalls.

The “kip” is the currency of Laos since 1952. Historically, one kip was divided into 100 “att”. In 1957, the government issued notes denominated solely in kip. The notes were for 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 kip printed by the Security Banknote Company, 100 kip printed by the Banque de France and a commemorative 500 kip printed by Thomas De La Rue. 1 and 5 kip notes printed by Bradbury & Wilkinson, and a 10 kip by De la Rue were introduced by 1962.

Today we are discussing a 50 Kip banknote issued in 1957. The obverse depicts the Older National Assembly building in Vientiane, Laos with the tricephalic elephant arms featuring Airavata and ornate lintels depicting the deity. The reverse features logger on elephant pulling log on a cart against mountain scenery.

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