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2 Dollar Seamen's Trade Vouchers. Baltona
| Issuer | Przedsiębiorstwo Handlu Zagranicznego Baltona |
|---|---|
| Year | 1973 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Dollars (2 Dolary) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Pink-toned voucher with brown letterpress text and guilloche border panels at left and right, each incorporating a stylised anchor-and-wings emblem. The denomination $2$ appears in large numerals at centre, with the Polish text legend above and a serial number in red below. Issuer name in a rounded cartouche at foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain lilac-pink field enclosed by a simple red geometric guilloche frame with corner ornaments. The issuer's full corporate name is set in two lines of capital letters at upper centre, with the trade name "Baltona" in large italic script beneath. A three-line disclaimer legend in smaller capitals occupies the lower portion. |
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| Comments |
Baltona — Przedsiębiorstwo Handlu Zagranicznego, the Polish state foreign trade enterprise — issued these vouchers specifically for use by Polish merchant seamen, who earned hard currency abroad but were forbidden from holding it under PRL monetary law. The voucher system allowed the state to capture those foreign earnings while giving sailors access to Pewex-adjacent goods unavailable through normal retail channels.
The 1973 series was printed domestically, which is unusual — earlier Baltona scrip had been produced abroad. Forgery risk was a known concern given the access these vouchers granted to otherwise unobtainable consumer goods.