Note of the Month: Bangladesh 500 Taka

Posted on 3/24/2026

On March 26, Bangladesh celebrates its independence, which was declared 55 years ago.

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Country: Bangladesh

Catalog Number: 19

Date: (ND 1976)

Denomination: 5 Taka

Varieties: In addition to the issued notes, the PMG Population Report also lists Specimens and Proofs.

What makes it special? This note was the first 500 Taka issued after independence and was the highest denomination of its day. It is part of the Star Mosque Series, named because the fronts of all the denominations show a picture of the historic mosque that is in the capital, Dhaka. The back shows the nation's Supreme Court Building.

Did you know? The word "taka" is used in Bangladesh to generically refer to money. This is also done in the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, which border Bangladesh, even though the rupee is the unit of currency there.

Total graded by PMG: As of mid-February 2026, the PMG Population Report includes 29 examples of Pick# 19, as well as four Specimens and three Proofs.

PMG median grade: PMG 53 About Uncirculated for the issued notes

PMG highest graded: Two issued notes are found in PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, while two Specimens earned a grade of PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ.

Sales highlight: A "Top Pop" example in PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ realized $6,600 in a Heritage Auctions sale in July 2020, while an example graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated realized $1,440 in June 2023 through the same auction house.

PMG Registry: This note is part of the most popular Bangladesh category in the PMG Registry, Bangladesh, Type Set, 1971-Date, Issued Notes, where Atul Kumar Singh's top-ranked Bengal Taka's set has an example in PMG 63 Choice Uncirculated. Of the 69 notes in this 83% complete set, this particular note contributes the most points to the set's PMG Registry score. This collector uses this same example as part of their top-ranked Atul-Bangladesh Bank Set, which leads the shorter Bangladesh Bank, 1972-Date, Type Set, Issued Notes category.

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