50 zlotys – a template

In the Second Republic of Poland, on 1 March 1927 two banknotes with the face values of 20 and 50 zlotys went into circulation, but the decision to issue them had been taken earlier. In the case of the 50-zloty note, it happened on 28 August 1925. The author of the graphic design of both banknotes was Zygmunt Kamiński, and the wood engraving was entrusted to Professor Eugène Gaspé. It was the next stage of the cooperation with this French engraver of Italian origin, initiated in 1919 during the production of the first gold banknotes of the reborn Poland. Both denominations were designed by Zygmunt Kamiński and, apart from their nominal value, differed in size, colour and watermark. In the case of the twenty-zloty banknote, it depicted a portrait of King Casimir the Great, while the fifty-zloty banknote depicted Stefan Batory.

The first issue of the 50-zloty banknote, dated 28 August 1925 on the obverse, was followed several years later by a second issue. The decision was taken on 1 September 1929, and the banknotes went into circulation less than two months later, on 20 October 1929. The differences between the issues were minor, limited to slightly changed colours and the signature of the Governor of Bank Polski.

The 50-zloty notes of the 1925 issue were among the longest-circulating banknotes of the 2nd Republic of Poland. While the 20-zloty banknotes were quickly replaced by new issues from 1931 and 1936, the 50-zloty banknote remained in use during the first years of World War II. It was withdrawn from circulation only on 7 May 1940, after a little over thirteen years. Only one-hundred- and five-hundred-zloty banknotes with the date of issue on the obverse of 28 February 1919 were in circulation for longer, but they were introduced on 28 April 1924 and remained in circulation until 31 January 1940. However, under the decision of 11 November 1936, a design was developed and even a small number of 50-zloty banknotes of the new issue were printed, but officially they did not enter into circulation.

This specimen is in very good condition. Like other specimen banknotes it was struck with the series A and the number 0245678.

Leszek Poniewozik