Laos issued a wave of commemorative silver pieces throughout the 1990s under licensing arrangements that had little to do with national monetary policy — these were produced almost entirely for the collector export market, typically through European distributors. The 1996 date places this squarely in the lead-up cycle to France '98, when dozens of small-nation mints and issuing authorities flooded the market with FIFA-licensed commemoratives of varying legitimacy.
Laos issued a wave of commemorative silver pieces throughout the 1990s under licensing arrangements that had little to do with national monetary policy — these were produced almost entirely for the collector export market, typically through European distributors. The 1996 date places this squarely in the lead-up cycle to France '98, when dozens of small-nation mints and issuing authorities flooded the market with FIFA-licensed commemoratives of varying legitimacy.
Laos had no FIFA membership at the time of issue.