10 000 Denari

Macedonia's first banknote series, issued after independence from Yugoslavia in late 1991, presented an immediate logistical problem: the new state had no printing infrastructure and needed circulating currency fast. The 10,000 Denar note was part of that rushed first issue, denominated in the old Yugoslav-rooted "denar" before the 1993 redenomination slashed values by 100 and introduced the new Denar.

Hyperinflationary pressure inherited from the collapsing Yugoslav monetary system made high denominations like this one necessary almost immediately upon issue — and obsolete within months.