500 Bolivares Jose Antonio Paez

José Antonio Páez, Venezuela's first constitutional president and the llanero caudillo who secured the country's separation from Gran Colombia in 1830, was a recurring subject for commemorative issues from the Banco Central. This 1990 piece was struck during one of Venezuela's more turbulent economic periods — oil revenues had collapsed through the mid-1980s, the bolívar had been devalued repeatedly, and a 500-bolívar silver coin represented roughly a week's minimum wage at the time of issue, making it a commemorative in function if not always in stated intent.