Description and research notes
Bank Polski 1 Zloty specimen dated 28 February 1919, bearing series S.36B, serial number 060793, and specimen control number 1893. The note carries red WZÓR. and Bez wartości. overprints on both sides, together with two large circular perforations arranged vertically through the central field.
Designed, engraved, and printed shortly after Poland regained independence, the note formed part of the first zloty issue prepared for the restored Polish state. Although produced in 1919, the issue remained in reserve while the Polish marka continued as the circulating currency. It was released in 1924 during the monetary reform introduced under Prime Minister Wladyslaw Grabski, when the new zloty replaced the inflation-damaged marka and Bank Polski became the central issuing institution.
The face presents a portrait of Tadeusz Kosciuszko within a circular engraved medallion at left. The Bank Polski title appears above the denomination, with the date and printed signatures arranged across the lower central field. Dense geometric ornament surrounds the principal design elements and frames the denomination devices in each corner.
The specimen markings are applied in red across the printed design. WZÓR. appears diagonally across the face, while Bez wartości. is positioned along the upper and lower margins. The reverse carries corresponding specimen markings, establishing the note as a bilateral overprint specimen rather than a regular issued example.
Two circular perforations pass vertically through the central portion of the note. Their vertical arrangement is a defining feature of this catalog variety and distinguishes it from specimens with different punch configurations. The visible specimen control number 1893 is separate from the regular serial number 060793 and records the note within the specimen-control system used for this issue.
The note was printed in France by Imprimerie Benoit Arnaud in Lyon at a time when Poland's domestic security-printing capacity was still being rebuilt after independence. Its refined engraving, fine-line ornament, and layered pastel underprinting reflect the strong influence of early twentieth-century French banknote design.
Miłczak classifies this combination of bilateral red WZÓR. overprints, 7 mm lettering, series S.36B, regular serial numbering, specimen control number, and vertical two-hole perforation arrangement as variety 47Wc.
This specimen preserves the production and control history of the first Bank Polski 1 Zloty issue. Series S.36B, serial 060793, and specimen control number 1893 identify an individual example of the 1919 issue prepared after independence and ultimately connected with the monetary reconstruction of 1924.