Wagnerian soprano will be worth five Garbos and two-and-a-half Bergmans from October.

We always knew that the late great Wagnerian soprano had the money notes, but now it’s official. Sweden’s central bank, the Sverigis Riksbank, has at last unveiled the finished artwork for its new series of banknotes and Birgit Nilsson will be worth an impressive 500 kronor from October 2015.

The design concept for the new money has been several years in the offing, the final style having been chosen as part of a national competition. The new ‘operatic’ note features a handsome portrait of Nilsson alongside a miniature scene of her in what looks like a performance of Wieland Wagner’s iconic production of Die Walküre.

In a mark of the pride the Scandinavian country takes in its artists, the six new notes will also feature author Astrid Lindgren of Pippi Longstocking (or Långstrump if you are Swedish) fame on the 20 kronor bill, ballad singer Evert Taube (50 kronor), film icons Greta Garbo (100 kronor) and Ingmar Bergman (200 kronor) and author and second Secretary General of the UN Dag Hammarskjöld on the top note, the 1000 kronor.

Cynics may suggest that Nilsson’s fiscal superiority might simply reflect the relative cost of a ticket to see her, but the soprano, who had a keen sense of humour, would doubtless have smiled to hear that she will now be worth five Garbos. At around $75, though, 500 kronor is still cheaper than most nights at the opera.