The 500 Florin is the highest denomination Aruba has ever issued, and at the time of this 1993 printing it represented a significant fraction of the average monthly wage on the island — which partly explains why examples in heavily circulated condition are almost unknown. Enschedé had been Aruba's printer since the florin was introduced following the island's separate status from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, and the relationship brought consistent security standards to an otherwise small-volume currency program.
Designer Evelino Fingal was a local Aruban artist, an unusual choice for a denomination of this size — most Caribbean territories defaulted to anonymous commercial design at the top end of their scales. The watermark remains the primary security feature, modest by later standards.
The 500 Florin is the highest denomination Aruba has ever issued, and at the time of this 1993 printing it represented a significant fraction of the average monthly wage on the island — which partly explains why examples in heavily circulated condition are almost unknown. Enschedé had been Aruba's printer since the florin was introduced following the island's separate status from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, and the relationship brought consistent security standards to an otherwise small-volume currency program.
Designer Evelino Fingal was a local Aruban artist, an unusual choice for a denomination of this size — most Caribbean territories defaulted to anonymous commercial design at the top end of their scales. The watermark remains the primary security feature, modest by later standards.