500 Sylis

Guinea's sylis-denominated series was the product of Sékou Touré's deliberate break from the franc zone — the syli replaced the Guinean franc in 1971 as a rejection of French monetary influence, with the currency name drawn from a traditional unit of value. By 1980, the economy was severely strained, and high-denomination notes like this 500 were doing real work in daily transactions as purchasing power eroded.

The series was printed by the Imprimerie Fiduciaire in Moscow, reflecting Guinea's alignment with Soviet and Eastern Bloc partners during this period — an unusual source for West African fiduciary printing.