Venezuela 500 Bolívares Fuertes (2017 Hyperinflation Issue / Francisco de Miranda)

(Both obverse and reverse faces are displayed side-by-side).

• Issuing Authority: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela / Central Bank of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela / Banco Central de Venezuela)

• Denomination: 500 Bolívares (Quinientos Bolívares)

• Series / Era: Bolívar Fuerte (Bs.F) Extended Denomination Series

• Print Date Marked: 23 de Marzo de 2017 (March 23, 2017)

• Catalog Reference: Pick # 93

• Serial Number: T 75397875 (Printed in black horizontally at upper right; in dark teal vertically at lower left)

• Layout Orientation: Vertical format (formato vertical)

• Portrait (Face): Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816), "El Precursor" of Latin American independence, general in the French Revolution, and designer of the original Venezuelan tricolor flag.

• Tactile Feature: A single raised braille-style tactile dot with horizontal indicator bars at the center-left for the visually impaired.

• Reverse Vignettes (Shown on right):

  • Fauna: Two Amazon River Dolphins / Boto (Inia geoffrensis / Toninas).

  • Landscape Background: Coastal dunes of Médanos de Coro National Park (Parque Nacional Médanos de Coro).

  • Coat of Arms: National Coat of Arms of Venezuela at the bottom center.

• Security Elements: Wide, windowed holographic security thread exposed horizontally across the upper midsection.

• Printer: Casa de la Moneda Venezuela (imprinted at top reverse margin).

• Color Palette: Teal-blue, sea-green, and slate with pale lavender, yellow-gold, and turquoise underprinting.

Historical Context

• Design Recycled from the 2 Bolívares Note: This completes the recycling puzzle:

  • 2 Bs. (Green) $\rightarrow$ 500 Bs. (Teal/Blue): Francisco de Miranda & Amazon River Dolphins (Toninas).

  • 5 Bs. (Orange) $\rightarrow$ 1,000 Bs. (Purple): Pedro Camejo & Giant Armadillos (Cachicamos).

  • 20 Bs. (Pink) $\rightarrow$ 5,000 Bs. (Green): Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi & Hawksbill Turtles (Tortugas Carey).

  • 50 Bs. (Green) $\rightarrow$ 10,000 Bs. (Cyan/Blue): Simón Rodríguez & Spectacled Bear (Oso Frontino).

  • 100 Bs. (Brown) $\rightarrow$ 20,000 Bs. (Coral/Red): Simón Bolívar & Red Siskins (Cardenalitos).

• Short-Lived Relief: The 500 Bolívares note was the lowest denomination created when the extended high-denomination series was authorized in late 2016 / early 2017. Like the rest of the family, it was completely demonetized on August 20, 2018, when the Bolívar Soberano was launched.

Technical & Visual Assessment

• Technical Grade: Choice Crisp Uncirculated (CU 63 – CU 64)

• Substrate & Surface Preservation:

  • Clean, factory-fresh paper body showing zero commercial circulation.

  • Completely flat with no vertical center folds, wallet bends, handling ripples, or teller counting flicks.

  • Razor-sharp 90-degree corners with no blunting or rounding.

  • Clean white margins free of tears, pinholes, or edge foxing.

  • Crisp intaglio tactile texture across Miranda’s portrait, the tactile dot, and the denomination numerals.