5000 Francs / 1000 Ariary

The dual denomination — 5000 Francs and 1000 Ariary — reflects Madagascar's prolonged currency transition following the ariary's official introduction in 1961, when the government defined 1 Ariary as equal to 5 Malagasy Francs. That conversion rate was maintained for decades, and issuing authorities simply printed both on the same note rather than force a clean break. The franc was not fully phased out until 2005, meaning this note circulated across a remarkably long transitional window.

Thomas De La Rue printed the series through multiple years within the 1988–1994 issue range, though date variants are not always clearly differentiated in dealer stock.