Catalog
500 Kuna pattern
| Issuer | Narodna Banka Hrvatske |
|---|---|
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in brown and ochre tones on a plain cream ground, with the bank title running vertically along the left margin in intaglio lettering. To the upper centre, a vignette combines the Croatian coat of arms with a text panel bearing patriotic verse; to the right, a large intaglio portrait of the Renaissance humanist Marko Marulić (1450–1524) dominates the field, identified by his name and life dates in small lettering beneath the bust. The denomination numeral 500 is set in bold guilloche-filled figures at lower centre, flanked by fine-line geometric underprint panels and a vertical latticework border strip at the far right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is an unfinished trial impression on plain cream paper, showing only the blind intaglio relief of the obverse design bleeding through; faint mirror-image impressions of the denomination numeral 500, the bank title, and the denomination inscription PET STOTINA KUNA are discernible as embossed traces, with no printed colour or design applied to this side. |
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| Comments |
The 500 Kuna was part of the first complete kuna series introduced in May 1994, when Croatia replaced the Croatian dinar following its brief post-independence transitional use. This pattern predates the issued series by roughly a year, placing its production in the middle of an active war — the Homeland War was ongoing, and the Croatian National Bank was simultaneously managing currency design, security printing procurement, and wartime monetary policy.
Pattern notes from this series are rare in the market. The issued 500 Kuna denomination itself saw limited everyday use given its relatively high face value during a period of economic instability.