Armenia 50000 Dram (2018)

Description

The Armenian dram is the official currency of Armenia and the first currency date from 1199 to 1375. The official currency symbol: ֏. The word dram means “money” in the English language; the word is related to the Greek drachma and the Arabic dirham, and the English unit of weight dram. After Armenia was proclaimed as an independent republic in 1991, the Central Bank of Armenia was established as an official issuing entity in 1993; the first banknote series was introduced in denominations of 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 5000 dram. A second series was introduced between 1998 and 2017. However, a year later (2018), a third series was issued in denominations of 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000.

The 50000 Armenian dram note front design features Saint Gregory the Illuminator (c. 257 – c. 331), who was a religious leader and is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, surrounded by manuscripts that allude to the life of the Saint; in the background, the Right Hand of Gregory the Illuminator, and the dome of the Etchmiadzin Monastery (mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church) with the winged cross. The design is completed with a holographic sketch of the Right Hand of Gregory the Illuminator and a second design with no holographic feature. The reverse of the note presents an illustration of the Khor Virap Monastery (Chapel of Saint Gregory) on the Plain of Ararat, the tombstone and statue of Saint Gregory the Illuminator (Etchmiadzin). The lettering is presented in the Armenian language. This note is part of the 2018 series, and its color is yellow and light brown.

Text: Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia, Fifty Thousand Dram, Bank President, Minister of Finance, 50000, 2018.