1975 was an unusual year for Laos, when the Lao People's Revolutionary Party succeeded in seizing power and convened the first National People's Congress in the capital Vientiane on December 2, abolishing the monarchy that had lasted for more than 600 years and proclaiming the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Sisavan Vadhana, the second and last king of the Kingdom of Laos, abdicated, ending his 16-year reign. From 1945 to 1975, the Kingdom of Laos only existed for 30 years, but its history is more complicated. On October 3, 1893, France and Siam signed the Treaty of Bangkok (Franco-Siamese Treaty) in Bangkok, in which Siam ceded the territory of Laos east of the Mekong River, and Laos became part of French Indochina from a Siamese subject state to a French "protectorate". In March 1945, before Japan's surrender, the Japanese army began to forcibly take over the colonial government of French Indochina and march troops into Laos. Under pressure from the Japanese army, King Sisavong Von declared the independence of Laos on 8 April. After Japan's surrender on August 15, France returned to Indochina, and Sisavan von agreed to revoke the Declaration of Independence and re-establish itself as a French "protectorate". In 1946, after a series of armed conflicts, Sisavan Von re-ascended the throne on April 23. On August 27, Laos signed an agreement with France, stipulating that Laos would become an independent constitutional monarchy in the "French Confederation", but France would still be responsible for key matters such as defense, foreign affairs, and customs. It was not until 1949 that Laos was represented in Paris as a vassal state to the French Federal Assembly, and in the same year Laos was elevated to a semi-independent state, a new constitution was drafted, and the name was "Kingdom of Laos", King Sisavong Vong. In 1959, Sisavan Von announced his abdication and died on October 29. His son Sisavan Wadana became the new king, and then Laos continued to fight and survive in civil war and neutrality until December 2, 1975, when Vadana officially abdicated, Laos ended the monarchy and established the Lao People's Democratic Republic, and since then, the history of the Kingdom of Laos has come to an end. There are very few varieties of coins issued during the Kingdom of Laos. In terms of circulating coins, in 1952, a set of three medium-hole aluminum coins with denominations of 10 cents, 20 cents, and 50 cents was designed and minted at the Paris Mint under French control, and two other countries under the jurisdiction of French Indochina at that time, Vietnam and Cambodia, also minted three sets of coins of similar style at the Paris Mint. In addition to the standard circulation edition, this set of circulating coins minted 1,200 sets of patterns and 104 sets of thickened patterns to be sold as souvenirs, in accordance with the practice of the Paris Mint. It is also the only set of coins in circulation during the Kingdom of Laos.
In 1971, to commemorate the coronation of King Sisavan Wadana, a total of 9 precious metal commemorative coins were issued, including 5 gold and 4 silver. The nine coins have the same main design, with a portrait of King Sisavong Wadana on the obverse and the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Laos on the reverse. Laos is known as the "Land of Vientiane", which comes from the "Lancang Kingdom" in Laos' history, which means "million elephants" in Laotian. The capital of Laos is also known as Vientiane, so the national emblem of the Kingdom of Laos also uses the elephant as the central motif. This set of gold and silver coins has larger denominations and is all in kip. The gold coins were denominated at 4,000, 8,000, 20,000, 40,000 and 80,000 kip, weighed 4, 8, 20, 40 and 80 grams, and had a gold content of 0.900 and were issued in mintage of 10,000 pieces. Silver coins with denominations of 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 kips, weights of 10, 20, 40 and 80 grams, respectively, and a silver content of 0.925, are not the same in terms of circulation, but are generally believed to be 20,000 pieces, but there are records of no more than 50,000 pieces. There are two types of silver coins, the Proof and the Normal, so there are discrepancies in the accounts.
Precious metal commemorative coins issued in 1971 (source: Internet) in 1975, the last year of the Kingdom of Laos. In order to commemorate the country's independence, a set of gold and silver commemorative coins was also issued, a total of 6 pieces, 3 gold and 3 silver, the obverse design adopts the design of the portrait of King Sisavong Wadana on the top and the white elephant umbrella pattern of the national emblem of Laos on the bottom. On the back, the motifs are different, with motifs such as temples representing the royal family and Buddhist beliefs. Among them, Xiangtong Temple represents the classic Luang Prabang temple architectural style, which was the private property of the royal family until 1975. Thaluang is the holy site of Laos and a landmark of Vientiane. The Jade Buddha Temple is one of the oldest temples in Vientiane and was once the royal temple of the Lancang Kingdom, named after the placement of the Jade Buddha. This famous Emerald Jade Buddha of Indochina is now housed at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand. According to Thai theory, the Emerald Buddha was discovered in northern Thailand in the mid-15th century and belonged to the Kingdom of Chiang Mai (which is part of present-day Thailand). In the mid-16th century, the Kingdom of Chiang Mai was defeated by the rising Lancang Kingdom (present-day Laos), and the Emerald Buddha was brought to Vientiane for more than 200 years. In the 18th century, the Kingdom of Siam (another part of present-day Thailand) grew stronger, invaded Laos in 1778 and looted the Emerald Buddha, and burned down the Temple of the Emerald Buddha when it captured Vientiane in 1828. The Lao people only remember that the Jade Buddha has always been the treasure of the Lancang Kingdom, until it was plundered by the Thais, and it was a national shame, and they still claim the ownership of the Jade Buddha. Compared with the 1971 mintage, the 1975 gold and silver commemorative coins were much smaller and smaller in size, but the face value was much larger and the varieties were very complex, reflecting the crumbling state of the Lao Kingdom at the time. The gold variety is simpler, the first with a face value of 50,000 kip, a weight of 3.6 grams, a gold content of 0.900, and a reverse motif of Thaluang. The circulation is recorded as 100 pieces of the standard and 175 pieces of the refined type. The second piece has a face value of 50,000 kip, weighs 3.6 grams, has a gold content of 0.900, and the reverse pattern is the head of a Laotian woman. The circulation is recorded as 100 pieces of the standard and 175 pieces of the refined type. The third piece has a face value of 100,000 kip, weighs 7.32 grams, has a gold content of 0.900, and has a jade Buddha image on the back. The circulation is recorded as 100 pieces of the standard system and 100 pieces of the refined type. Although it is recorded that there are both Proof and Standard versions, in reality the Gold Coin is very difficult to distinguish or does not exist.
The 1975 gold commemorative coin (source: Internet) and silver coins are more complex. The first one has a face value of 10,000 kip, weighs 23.5 grams, has a silver content of 0.925, and the reverse pattern is Xiangtong Temple. The circulation is recorded as 300 pieces of the standard system and 650 pieces of the refined type. There are three varieties of this coin. Variety 1: Premium, the "925" silver stamp is located below the main motif and above the face value. Variety 2: Proof, the "925" silver stamp is located to the right of the face value. Variety 3: General version, the same version of the same variety 1.
The second 10,000 kip silver commemorative coin issued in 1975 (in the author's collection) is 5,000 kip, weighs 11.7 grams, contains 0.925 silver, and depicts the Jade Buddha Temple on the reverse. The circulation is recorded as 400 pieces of the standard and 775 pieces of the refined type. There are three varieties of this coin. Variety 1: Premium, the "925" silver stamp is located below the main motif and above the face value. Variety 2: Proof, the "925" silver stamp is located to the right of the face value. Variety 3: General version, the same version of the same variety 1.
The third 5,000 kip silver commemorative coin issued in 1975 (in the author's collection) has a face value of 5,000 kip, weighs 11.7 grams, has a silver content of 0.925, and the reverse pattern is the head of a Lao woman, which is the same as the 50,000 kip gold coin. The circulation is recorded as 400 pieces of the standard and 775 pieces of the refined type. There are five varieties of this coin. Category 1: Refined Edition, the "925" silver stamp is located below the main motif, above the face value, and the year "1975" is on the right side of the woman's head. Variety 2: Refined version, the "925" silver stamp is located to the right of the face value, and the year "1975" is on the right side of the woman's head. Variety 3: Proof, the "925" silver stamp is located to the right of the face value, to the left of the dot, and there is no "1975" year on the right side of the woman's head. Edition 4: Proof, the "925" silver stamp is located to the right of the face value, the dot is to the right, and the "1975" year is not on the right side of the woman's head. Variety 5: General version, same variety 4
The 5,000 Kip Silver Commemorative Coin issued in 1975 (in the author's collection) In summary, there are 11 varieties of the three silver coins of the 1975 commemorative coin, which is also very rare among the commemorative coins of other countries in the same period. Coupled with the relatively small circulation, such a large number of varieties deserve further study. With the success of the Lao Revolution in 1975, the former Lao kingdom and his royal family have become history, and only these coins still carry this special historical memory.
This article was originally published in China Coins, Issue 2, 2022