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20 Zlotych
| Issuer | Narodowy Bank Polski |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | NARODOWY BANK POLSKI DWADZIEŚCIA ZŁOTYCH PRZYJMOWANIE WE WSZYSTKICH WYPŁATACH JEST OBOWIĄZKOWYM FAŁSZOWANIE BĘDZIE KARANE ZGODNIE Z PRAWEM 1944 20 |
| Reverse description | The reverse mirrors the general layout of the obverse in dark green on a pale pink guilloche underprint, with large numeral '20' at each corner set within engraved rosette medallions. The central oval cartouche carries the large numeral '20' above 'DWADZIEŚCIA ZŁOTYCH' in bold letterpress, without the eagle vignette present on the obverse. The issuer's name 'NARODOWY BANK POLSKI' again arcs along the upper border, and the date '1944' appears in a cartouche at the lower centre, the overall composition being slightly simpler in ornamentation than the face. |
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| Comments |
This note belongs to the first currency series issued by the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKWN), printed in the USSR and introduced in August 1944 as the Red Army pushed across the Vistula. The series was a deliberate political instrument — establishing a parallel monetary authority to delegitimize the London-backed Polish government-in-exile and its own currency apparatus.
Printing quality varies noticeably across surviving examples, a consequence of wartime Soviet press conditions rather than Polish ones. The watermark is the only security feature, thin cover against forgery but sufficient for a currency backed by an occupying military force.