500 Pesos Oro

The P#172 series spans three years but carries real political weight in its signature changes. Frank Guerrero Prats held the governorship across both the 2002 and 2003 dates, partnered with two different finance ministers — Fernando Álvarez Bogaert and then José E. Lois Malkún — before Héctor Valdez Albizu took over for the 2004 date. Valdez Albizu's appointment came during the severe banking crisis that had erupted in 2003, when the collapse of Baninter and two other major Dominican banks wiped out roughly 20% of GDP.

The shift from ascending-size to equal-size serial numbering between 2002 and 2003 is the quickest way to distinguish the earliest date from its successors.