500 Escudos

Angola's 500 Escudos was among the higher denominations in active circulation during a period of mounting colonial war — the conflict with liberation movements began in 1961, and notes of this value were regularly used in wartime commerce while Lisbon scrambled to maintain economic control of the territory. Thomas De La Rue's involvement was typical of Portuguese colonial currency production throughout this era; Lisbon routinely contracted British security printers rather than using the Casa da Moeda.

The series ran across eight years, which means date variants exist and matter to specialists. A watermark is the sole listed security feature — modest for a denomination this size.