Collection

Three Known Specimen Types of the 1994 Polish Issue

Production began with the unmarked Wzór akceptacyjny bez nadruków (often referenced here as barebone^*) — a clean approval specimen print without overprints, stamp, or perforations. This version was reviewed and accepted by the issuing authority before De La Rue proceeded to create marked specimens. The next stage added the red SPECIMEN and oval NO VALUE stamp for official distribution, followed by a limited number perforated with SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE for archival and reference use. Together, these three forms document the complete approval-to-archive process typical of De La Rue’s workflow at the time.

The examples shown here share the AR prefix, forming one complete set from that production run. Similar three-part sets are also known with other prefixes, showing that this process was a regular part of De La Rue’s specimen production rather than a one-off case.

Miłczak records the Overprint and Approval varieties only with the AA prefix and does not list a perforated type. The AR-prefix set shown here follows the same three-stage pattern in a prefix not previously catalogued.

All known specimen prefixes printed by TDLR (as of today):
AA · AC · AF · AP · AR · AS · AX · AY · BB · BE · BK · BQ · BS

^*barebone — shorthand introduced by 1994.pl for the unmarked approval print (Wzór akceptacyjny bez nadruków) used to approve the design and production before any specimen overprints or perforations. Term origin: 1994.pl (2025).