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500 Kwacha
| Issuer | Bank of Zambia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992-2003 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Cotton paper |
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| Obverse description | An African fish eagle perches on a branch at right in intaglio vignette, set against a bare tree rendered in fine engraving across the centre. At lower left, the Zambian coat of arms within a circular underprint is dated 1992, accompanied by a dove watermark device; guilloche rosette patterns and multicolour underprints fill the background. Denomination panels reading K500 appear at upper left and lower right, with the Governor's manuscript signature above the title inscription at centre. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | African fish eagle head watermark; embedded security thread |
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| Comments |
Zambia's economy was in freefall through much of this note's issue window — GDP contracted sharply in the early 1990s following structural adjustment measures imposed under IMF conditionality, and inflation ran into triple digits for extended stretches. A 500 Kwacha denomination that represented meaningful purchasing power at first issue was worth a fraction of that by the time the series was retired. The note effectively documented its own devaluation over eleven years of concurrent circulation.
The Mwanza signature appearing across both the 1992 and 2001 dates reflects Jacob Mwanza's unusually long tenure as Bank of Zambia Governor — a rare continuity in an era of considerable political turbulence.