500 Leones

The 500 Leones denomination was introduced as Sierra Leone's civil war — the RUF conflict that began in 1991 — was grinding through its worst years, with the country's economy in freefall and inflation eroding purchasing power so rapidly that even this mid-range note became effectively low-value currency within its own issue lifespan. The leone lost catastrophic ground against the dollar through the late 1990s.

Thomas De La Rue printed the series through a period when Sierra Leone had almost no functioning central banking infrastructure on the ground, making London-printed supply continuity the only realistic option for maintaining note availability.