500 Korún Millennium

Slovakia's 500 Korún note (Pick 38) appeared in 1993, the year the country formally came into existence following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 1 January. The Národná Banka Slovenska had just been established, and commissioning Thomas De La Rue for the first banknote series was a practical choice — domestic printing infrastructure capable of producing secure currency simply didn't exist yet. Design credit goes to Jozef Bubák, with engraving by Václav Fajt, whose work appears across several early Slovak issues.

The "Millennium" designation refers to a subsequent commemorative release tied to the year 2000, distinguished from the standard 1993 issue by different signature combinations — Masár and Jusko here — making signature attribution the primary differentiator for collectors.