In 1946, when the Kingdom of Laos, which broke away from French colonial rule, was established, Sisavang Vong became its first ruler. At that time, the Lao national coinage began, which was based on the French Indochinese piastre. The first coins of the Lao coinage appeared in 1952, they were of 10, 20 and 50 centimes and were made of copper. The obverse of the coins features the portrait of King Sisavang Vong, and the reverse bears the coat of arms of Laos. The coat of arms features a three-headed elephant, a sun disk, a moon disk, and the golden Buddha statue of Pha Bang, which gave the name to the royal city of Luang Prabang. In 1957, new coins were issued in denominations of 1, 5, and 10 kip, and were made of aluminum. were made. The obverse of the coins still featured the portrait of King Sisavang Vong and the reverse the coat of arms of Laos. King Sisavang Vong died in 1959 and was succeeded on the throne by his son Sisavang Vatthana. However, the coinage did not change, the portrait of the new king did not appear on the coins until 1962.