Description and research notes
Issued 50 Złotych note (Prefix HK, Warszawa 1 GRUDNIA 1988) showing a major printing error where the typographic layer containing the date 'WARSZAWA, 1 GRUDNIA 1988' and both signatures of the issuing officials (Prezes and Główny Skarbnik) is completely absent. The eagle emblem remains intact, confirming that only the upper black text plate failed to print.
This omission occurred during the final typographic stage at Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (PWPW), where the date and signatures were added separately from the offset underprint and intaglio portrait layers. When the sheet skipped the final print pass or when the plate was under-inked, the result was a blank lower center field. The rest of the design, including the HK red serials and guilloche network, printed normally.
This error exposes the multi-layer production structure used by PWPW during the late 1980s: offset underlay, intaglio engraving, serial numbering, and final typography. The absence of the date and signatures demonstrates a failure between intaglio and typographic application, offering a rare insight into the production workflow of pre-redenomination Polish notes.
Educational significance: Such missing signature and date errors are far rarer than typical color or registration anomalies. They reveal the sequential printing stages and quality control procedures at PWPW at a time when automation was minimal. This circulated raw note (HK6400358) stands as a valuable research piece documenting one of the most dramatic production faults of the 1988 50 Złotych issue.