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10 Cents Seamen's Trade Vouchers. Baltona
| Issuer | Przedsiębiorstwo Handlu Zagranicznego Baltona |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Cents (10 Centów) (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Pink guilloche underprint with denomination rosettes at each corner reading $0,10$. The issuer name PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO HANDLU ZAGRANICZNEGO in blue letterpress above the script logotype Baltona. A faint embossed or watermark-style vignette of a seated figure occupies the right panel, with a text disclaimer below regarding non-redeemability of lost vouchers. |
| Reverse lettering | PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO HANDLU ZAGRANICZNEGO Baltona MARYNARSKIE BONY TOWAROWE NIE PODLEGAJĄ UMORZENIU I W ZAMIAN UTRACONYCH BONÓW NIE WYDAJE SIĘ DOKUMENTÓW ZASTĘPCZYCH |
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| Comments |
Baltona was the Polish state foreign trade enterprise that operated duty-free shops at seaports, airports, and aboard vessels — selling Western goods inaccessible through normal retail channels. These vouchers were issued to merchant seamen as a controlled substitute for hard currency, allowing them to purchase goods at Baltona outlets without handling foreign exchange directly. The system let the state capture sailors' foreign earnings while rationing their access to imported merchandise.
The 1973 series was printed domestically. Seamen's scrip of this type circulated quietly alongside the better-known PEWEX bon system, though Baltona vouchers remain considerably less documented in collector literature.