10 Zlotys Mikołaj Kopernik, large type

Poland began issuing Kopernik 10-złoty pieces in 1959, but the "large type" designation distinguishes this from a physically smaller-diameter predecessor — an unusual case where the later coin is the bigger one, reversing the more common trend of postwar Polish coinage shrinking to conserve metal. Production continued through 1965, spanning the period when the Polish People's Republic was actively promoting Kopernik as a secular national hero compatible with socialist ideology, a deliberate counterweight to the Church's grip on Polish historical identity.

The copper-nickel alloy used here replaced the aluminum of earlier small-denomination issues, giving this coin a noticeably heavier feel in circulation.