500 Afghanis - Muhammad Zahir

Afghanistan's 500 Afghani notes of this period were printed by Thomas De La Rue during a stretch of relative political stability under Zahir Shah, when the government was actively courting Western economic partnerships and modernizing its banking infrastructure. The relationship with De La Rue was not incidental — it was part of a broader effort to issue currency that would be taken seriously by international trading partners skeptical of Afghan paper.

P#40A is distinguished from the closely related P#40 by signature variety, a distinction that matters more than it might appear: Afghan signature combinations in this era track specific governorships at Da Afghanistan Bank and can be used to narrow issue dates within the series.