5000 Bolívares

The 5000 Bolívar note was introduced in December 2016 as Venezuela's largest denomination — a figure that, within weeks of issue, barely covered a cup of coffee in Caracas. Inflation had already gutted the purchasing power of lower denominations so completely that the government was forced to fast-track this note through the Casa de la Moneda facility in Maracay under considerable pressure, resulting in reported supply shortfalls at point of release.

It was superseded by the 2018 reconversion, when the Bolívar Soberano replaced the Bolívar Fuerte at a rate of 1 to 100,000 — rendering the entire P#97 series effectively worthless in under two years of circulation.