Collection · PL

A curated showcase of rare and historical specimens from around the world.

About

1994.pl

Four Known Types of 1994 Polish Specimens

The 1994 Polish banknote issue is a rare case of a closed, one-year production system that can be reconstructed in full from surviving pre-issue material. Unlike long-running series that evolve over time, the 1994 issue followed a finite workflow tied to the introduction of the new złoty, completed before circulation began on 1 January 1995.

Within this single production window, the same banknote design passed through distinct control forms created for approval, reference distribution, and permanent archiving. These were not “collector varieties” in the modern sense, but functional stages used by the printing and security process shared between Thomas De La Rue in London and PWPW S.A. in Warsaw.

Four types document that workflow: an unmarked approval note, two differently purposed overprinted reference forms, and a final perforated archival copy. Taken together, they provide a complete technical record of how the 1994 notes moved from design sign-off to irreversible withdrawal from any monetary function.

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AA Prefix — Approval Specimen (Wzór akceptacyjny bez nadruków) — **Approval Specimen** (Wc)
Fully printed approval specimen — serials and signatures, no overprint or perforation

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AA Prefix — Polish Overprint Specimen (WZÓR front PWPW) — **Overprint WZÓR** (Wa)
Red WZÓR overprint on front — Polish domestic reference issue (PWPW)

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AA Prefix — London De La Rue Specimen (red SPECIMEN and NO VALUE stamps) — **Overprint SPECIMEN** (Wb)
Red SPECIMEN overprint and NO VALUE stamps — London De La Rue international issue

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AA Prefix — Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE (Wd) — **Perforated Specimen** (Wd)
SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE perforation — archival reference copy

The AA prefix (100 zł) forms the primary reference point within the 1994 specimen record, as it preserves the widest observable range of specimen forms associated with the issue. Miłczak’s 2023 catalog records the approval and overprinted reference forms but does not include the perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE variety, which represents the archival control stage documented here.

Later prefixes demonstrate that the same specimen logic observed during the 1994 production process was repeated across additional runs. These prefixes preserve corresponding approval, specimen, and archival control forms recorded in surviving material, showing that the observed workflow was not confined to a single prefix.

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AP Prefix — Approval Specimen (Wzór akceptacyjny bez nadruków) — **Approval Specimen** (Wc)
AP prefix — fully printed approval specimen, no overprint or perforation

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AP Prefix — London De La Rue Specimen (red SPECIMEN and NO VALUE stamps) — **Overprint SPECIMEN** (Wb)
AP prefix — red SPECIMEN overprint and NO VALUE stamps (De La Rue London)

1994 Poland 100 Złoty AP Prefix — Perforated SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE (Wd) — **Perforated Specimen** (Wd)
AP prefix — SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE perforation, archival control copy

The AP prefix examples shown above serve as a representative illustration of this repetition. Their presence confirms that the specimen logic identified for the 1994 issue formed part of a broader, consistently applied production practice rather than an isolated case.

Taken together, the AA material and the additional prefix examples present the 1994 issue as a unified production framework that combined Polish domestic approval procedures with De La Rue’s international specimen standards. This record does not challenge earlier publications; it extends them by documenting how the same specimen logic reappears across multiple prefixes within the 1994 production context.

Prefixes Recorded

Known specimen prefixes identified from surviving De La Rue material documented by 1994.pl:
AA · AC · AF · AL · AP · AR · AS · AX · AY · AZ · BB · BE · BK · BQ · BS