10 Zlotys Mikolaj Kopernik, small type, Trial Strike

The Kopernik 10 Złotych went through an extended design evaluation period before the circulating type was finalized, and aluminium trial strikes like this one were produced to assess die performance and dimensional tolerancing rather than for any intended release. The "small type" designation distinguishes this from concurrent large-type proofs submitted during the same approval process — both variants circulated internally within the mint and Polish monetary authorities during the late 1960s evaluation.

Copernicus had appeared on Polish coinage before, but this series coincided with preparations for the astronomer's 500th birth anniversary in 1973, giving the mint years of lead time to refine the design.