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500 Yuan Central Bank of China
| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Central Bank of China Printing Works, Shanghai |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Sun Yat-sen in an oval vignette at left, set against an intricate guilloche underprint in brown tones. The denomination 伍佰圓 appears in large characters at centre, flanked by the bank title 中央銀行 across the top. Corner numerals and repeating value panels frame the design, with the Republican era dating inscription printed at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a central guilloche medallion containing the denomination 伍佰圓 in large characters, surrounded by dense lathe-work patterning in brown. The numeral 500 appears in each of the four corners within decorative panels. Two manuscript signatures appear at left, with printed authorization text at upper right. |
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| Comments |
The 500 Yuan notes of 1945 belong to the final phase of wartime Nationalist finance, issued as Japan's surrender opened the door to catastrophic monetary expansion. The Central Bank had spent much of the war operating from Chongqing with severely curtailed printing capacity; the Shanghai works resumed full output almost immediately after reoccupation, which is precisely why this denomination appears in such volume despite its late date.
Hyperinflation rendered it effectively worthless within two years. By 1947, 500 Yuan wouldn't cover a newspaper.