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500 Dobras
| Issuer | Banco Central de S. Tomé e Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London, United Kingdom |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANCO CENTRAL de S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE QUINHENTAS DOBRAS Decreto-Lei no. 29/93 S. TOMÉ e PRÍNCIPE, 26 de AGOSTO de 1993. O MINISTRO DA ECONOMIA E FINANÇAS O GOVERNADOR (Translation: Central Bank of St. Tomé and Príncipe Five Hundred Dobras Decree-Law no. 29/93 St. Tomé and Príncipe, August 26, 1993. The Minister of Economy and Finance The Governor) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The 500 Dobras denomination was part of São Tomé and Príncipe's post-independence monetary consolidation, issued after the country had spent its first decade and a half experimenting with economic structures following separation from Portugal in 1975. By 1993, the islands were deep into IMF-backed structural adjustment, and the dobra had been significantly devalued — this note's face value represented a meaningful sum when first issued but eroded quickly through the decade.
Thomas De La Rue's involvement was typical for Lusophone African states of the period, who regularly contracted London security printers rather than developing domestic printing capacity. The watermark remains the sole security feature — modest even by early 1990s standards.