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500 Leke
| Issuer | Banka e Shqipërisë |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992-1996 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 170 × 78 mm |
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| Obverse description | Portrait vignette of Albanian national poet Naim Frashëri (1846–1900) at left, executed in intaglio against a blue-toned guilloche underprint with ornate foliate scrollwork framing the left border. The large numeral 500 appears at centre-right alongside an intricate rosette and concentric oval guilloche pattern. The bank title runs along the top margin, with the denomination PESEQIND LEKE in bold letterpress along the lower edge. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A landscape vignette of Albanian mountain scenery in subdued tones occupies the left portion, set against an open book motif. At centre, a tall burning candle with radiating light rays rises dramatically, encircled by a verse inscription in an arc. The right portion carries the large vertical numeral 500 over a geometric folk-pattern border in muted earth tones, with the issue date at lower right. |
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| Comments |
Albania's first post-communist banknote series was issued under extraordinary conditions — the country had just emerged from nearly five decades of Enver Hoxha's isolationist rule, and the central bank was rebuilding credibility from near zero. The 500 Lekë was the highest denomination in that inaugural series, introduced at a moment when hyperinflationary pressure and widespread economic collapse were eroding public confidence in any paper currency.
The series was printed by De La Rue. Watermark-only security reflects the stripped-back specification typical of emergency transitional issues rather than a fully developed national printing program. The Ponzi scheme collapse of 1996–97 that triggered armed insurrection across Albania fell squarely within this note's circulation window.