Portugal 500 Escudos 1997-2000 P-187 VF – João de Barros

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📸 Please Note: We have many of these banknotes in stock. The exact serial numbers and specific wear patterns will vary from the photographs, but the described condition and overall quality remain exactly the same.

Sail back to Portugal’s Age of Discovery with this authentic Banco de Portugal 500 Escudos banknote from the 1997–2000 issue. Featuring the Renaissance historian João de Barros, a world map and Portuguese caravels, it is a beautiful farewell to the escudo before the euro arrived.

⚡ Extreme Index: 5.0 / 10
Why it’s extreme: A pre-euro tribute to João de Barros, the “Portuguese Livy” who chronicled the Age of Discovery.

• History & drama (30%): 6/10
• Scarcity (25%): 3/10 (Numista rarity index 13/100)
• Wow factor (20%): 6.5/10
• Age (15%): 4/10
• Condition (10%): 6/10

The Extreme Index is Extreme Banknotes’ own collector score based on history, scarcity, curiosity, age and condition — it is not a valuation or investment rating.

📦 Included Banknote(s):

1. 1997–2000 Portugal 500 Escudos, Chapa 13 (P-187)

📖 History and Significance:
This note belongs to the Bank of Portugal’s celebrated “Discoveries” series and honours João de Barros (1496–1570), the royal administrator and historian often called the “Portuguese Livy.” His monumental Décadas da Ásia recorded the voyages and conquests of the Portuguese in Africa and the East, and he also wrote one of the first grammars of the Portuguese language. Issued from 1997 (this example is dated 11 September 1997, Chapa 13), the 500 Escudos circulated until Portugal adopted the euro, and it was demonetized on 28 February 2002 — making it one of the last escudo notes ever printed.

🎨 Design Details:
The obverse shows a portrait of João de Barros beside an early world map with crowned Portuguese shields and angels, framed in the Gothic “banco de Portugal” lettering. The reverse is an allegorical scene inspired by the age of exploration: a man of science and letters and a merchant stand before an armillary sphere and a compass rose, with an elephant, Indian life and Portuguese naus (ships) in the background.

🔍 Numismatic Features:

• Size: 125 x 68 mm

• Material: Paper

• Type: Standard Circulation Banknote

• Currency: Portuguese Escudo (1911-2001)

• Country: Portugal

• Issuing Authority: Banco de Portugal

• Date: 11 September 1997 (Chapa 13), issued 1997-2000

✅ Condition Guide:
VF (Very Fine) / Circulated. A Very Fine note shows clear signs of circulation, including visible folds, minor edge wear, and a slight loss of original paper crispness, but remains fully intact with clear, vibrant design details. Because we hold multiple quantities in inventory, the exact serial numbers and specific wear patterns will vary. This condition guide represents our overall quality standard rather than the specific flaws of the photographed note.