500 Rupiah

The 1959 Indonesian note series — of which this is part — was issued during a period of severe monetary instability under Sukarno's Guided Democracy. Just one year later, in August 1960, Bank Indonesia enacted a currency reform that halved the face value of all notes above 100 Rupiah; a 500 Rupiah note became worth 250 overnight. Notes that had already entered circulation were overstamped, while unissued stock was largely destroyed.

Thomas De La Rue's involvement reflects Indonesia's continued reliance on London printers through the late 1950s before domestic printing capacity was developed.