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50 Kip Elasmosaurus and Tylosaurus
| Issuer | Bank of the Lao P.D.R. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Kip |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin/Lao |
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| Reverse description | A dynamic composition in the mirror-polished field depicts two prehistoric marine reptiles in combat: the long-necked plesiosaur Elasmosaurus, rendered with its sinuous neck arched downward, confronts the massive mosasaur Tylosaurus, shown with jaws agape and paddle-like flippers extended amid stylised ocean waves. The legend 'PREHISTORIC ANIMALS' arcs across the upper rim, with 'ELASMOSAURUS' inscribed at the left and 'TYLOSAURUS' along the lower rim. The date '1994' appears in the lower right field. |
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| Additional information |
Part of a broader wave of Laotian silver commemoratives issued through the 1990s for the collector export market, this piece had no meaningful domestic circulation — Laos in 1994 was running a parallel economy where the kip held little purchasing power against the dollar and Thai baht. The face value is essentially notional.
Elasmosaurus, the long-necked plesiosaur, was famously misassembled by Edward Drinker Cope in 1868, who placed the skull on the tail end — an error Othniel Charles Marsh gleefully publicized, deepening one of paleontology's most bitter rivalries.