500 Francs

Mali's first post-independence currency series was issued after the country withdrew from the West African Monetary Union in 1962 and established the Malian franc as a standalone currency — a politically charged move that put the new republic at odds with France and the CFA zone for over a decade. By 1967, when this note was issued, the Malian franc had already suffered significant depreciation, and the series would be short-lived: Mali rejoined the UMOA in 1984 and the Malian franc was eventually retired.

Thomas De La Rue's London production is consistent across the republic's early emission, with watermark security being the sole anti-counterfeiting measure — modest by the standards of the period, but not unusual for a small issuer with limited negotiating leverage over its printer contract.