Description and research notes
Original front design proof of the 1994 Poland 50 Złotych issue, engraved and printed by Thomas De La Rue. Certified by PMG as Pick 175ap1, this front proof was produced for internal approval prior to full-scale printing. It shows the final obverse layout of the issued note, featuring King Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir the Great), Poland’s 14th-century monarch credited with codifying national law and founding the University of Kraków.
Dated '25 March 1994' and carrying all finished design elements—typography, guilloche patterns, and denomination numerals—but printed without reverse or serials, this piece represents the ultimate pre-issue production stage. PMG population data confirm it as **Top Pop (1/1)**—the only certified example worldwide—establishing it as the definitive reference specimen for the type.
The 1994 series marked the complete modernization of Poland’s currency design following the redenomination of the złoty. This front proof provides unmatched insight into the craftsmanship of De La Rue’s Warsaw contract work and the evolution of Poland’s post-Communist monetary identity. It stands as the definitive archival artifact of the Narodowy Bank Polski’s 1990s design transformation.