Description and research notes
Original 500 złotych note of 1 March 1940 issued by the Bank Emisyjny w Polsce, Series A, with numbering that falls into the ranges later associated with diversionary forgeries. This note is genuine, but its serial begins within the counterfeit sequences (12xxxxx and 13xxxxx), making it an extremely rare survivor of the group later ordered withdrawn.
During the German occupation, large numbers of forged 500 złotych notes were introduced into circulation as part of diversionary sabotage. To contain the problem, the authorities decreed that all Series A notes with numbers in the 12xxxxx and 13xxxxx ranges be withdrawn, regardless of whether they were authentic or false. As a result, original emission notes carrying these 'tainted' serials are seldom encountered today.
This example, certified PMG 15 Choice Fine, represents one of the scarce genuine survivors that bore counterfeit-linked numbering. It stands as both a numismatic rarity and a historical witness to the unusual wartime measures taken against counterfeit disruption in occupied Poland.
Reference: Miłczak 98a.