On 1 January 2008 Venezuela switched to the «strong» bolívar (bolívar fuerte), exchanging one new unit for a thousand old ones. The banknote series for it is already dated 2007, and each of its denominations pairs a figure from the country’s history on the front with an animal of Venezuelan nature on the back.

The front of the 5 bolívares shows Pedro Camejo, remembered in the country’s history by the nickname Negro Primero; his portrait is repeated in the watermark. The back shows a giant armadillo.

This example is variety P89a, dated 20 March 2007 on the note. The design stayed unchanged until 2014–2015: from one printing to the next only the date on the note and the serial prefixes changed. The «strong» bolívar lasted ten years: on 20 August 2018 it was replaced by the «sovereign» bolívar at 100,000 to 1.

The note combines two subjects rarely seen on paper money: a hero known above all by his nickname and a giant armadillo, making it a piece for both a Venezuela collection and a wildlife set. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

A banknote from the VPcoins catalogue is a gift that is interesting to examine and has a story worth telling.