500 Forint

The 500 Forint series beginning in 1990 was Hungary's first domestically designed and printed series of any real ambition following the political transition — Magyar Pénzjegynyomda had long produced notes for the communist-era National Bank, but the post-1989 issues carried a deliberate cultural reorientation in their subject matter. Vagyóczky handled both design and obverse engraving, which is relatively uncommon; splitting the reverse engraving to Pálinkás was the standard collaborative arrangement at the Budapest facility.

The 2001–2010 dating reflects incremental security upgrades and serial number range extensions rather than any redesign. P#188 is among the more frequently encountered denominations from this period in circulated grades, given its role as a workhorse note in everyday Hungarian transactions.