Green, yellow, and red tones give Cape Verde’s vertical 500 Escudos note the feeling of science set against island memory and agricultural craft.
Design & Symbolism
Obverse
The obverse is anchored by the portrait of chemist Roberto Duarte Silva, surrounded by chemical symbols, a serpent wrapped around a chalice, and a mortar and pestle used as a registration device. An Oberthur Iriseal OVI patch with the coat of arms adds a technical layer, allowing scientific imagery and modern security design to share the same vertical field.
Reverse
The reverse turns toward Trapiche on the island of Santo Antão, showing a sugar cane press with a mortar and pestle motif carried into the composition. The scene moves from laboratory symbolism to rural production, linking Cape Verdean scientific heritage with the older material culture of sugar, tools, and island labour.
Collector’s Insight
For collectors, this 500 Escudos note is a distinctive Cape Verdean science-themed issue, pairing Roberto Duarte Silva with chemical and pharmaceutical symbolism in a vertical format. Its Oberthur Fiduciaire production, Roberto Duarte Silva watermark with electrotype 500, Iriseal OVI coat-of-arms patch, solid security thread, 4 mm windowed thread with demetalized BCV 500, and June 2019 demonetization give the note a precise technical and monetary position within Cape Verde’s modern escudo history.
Shipping & Guarantee
Each banknote is carefully handled and securely packed to ensure safe delivery. Authenticity is guaranteed.
Serial number and prefix may vary from the reference image.