200 Zlotys Duke Mieszko I half length, Trial Strike

Poland's 200-złoty series of the late 1970s was produced under the Gierek government's curious policy of issuing high-denomination collector coins even as the domestic economy deteriorated and shelves emptied. Trial strikes like this one were produced by Mennica Polska to test die alignment, metal flow, and surface quality before committing to the gold or silver production run — the nickel composition here is purely functional, a working proof of the manufacturing process rather than anything intended for circulation or sale.

The ParM and Fischer references both catalog this as a pattern variant, distinguishing it from the standard trial by the half-length portrait die used.