25 SRG #500

Front

The front depicts a dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) at left center, with Arabic inscriptions identifying the issuing authority and denomination. The design features elaborate geometric guilloche patterns in purple and cream tones, with the central emblem showing a wreath encircling text. The note displays both Arabic numerals '25' and Latin script '25 Pt.' The serial number appears in red. This design element suggests a mismatched pair, as the Arabic text and camel imagery do not correspond to Surinamese banknote designs.

Back

Passiflora quadrangularis (giant granadilla), the national flower of Suriname, dominates the center of the reverse. The botanical illustration shows the distinctive blue and white passion flower with its characteristic corona filaments and complex floral structure. The species name 'PASSIFLORA QUADRANGULARIS' appears above the flowers. The denomination '5 VIJF GULDEN' is printed at lower right, with 'CENTRALE BANK VAN SURINAME' along the left margin. A circular seal reading 'CENTRALE BANK VAN SURINAME' appears at right. Multicolored geometric patterns in orange, yellow, blue, and green frame the design.

History

This note represents a mismatched pair. The front appears to be from a Mauritanian ouguiya note (likely 25 ouguiya, 1973-2004 series) featuring Arabic text, camel imagery, and the serial format consistent with Mauritanian issues. The back is definitively from a Surinamese 5 gulden note issued by the Centrale Bank van Suriname, likely from the 1991-2000 series featuring Passiflora quadrangularis. The Surinamese gulden (SRG) was the currency from 1940 to 2004, when it was replaced by the Surinamese dollar at a rate of 1 dollar = 1,000 gulden due to hyperinflation. The Pick number P-138 corresponds to documented 25 gulden notes from Suriname's later gulden series, though the back shown is from a different denomination.