200 Zlotys Victory Over Fascism

Issued in 1975 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, this coin appeared during a period when the Polish communist government was aggressively instrumentalizing wartime memory — particularly Soviet-led liberation narratives — to reinforce its political legitimacy. Poland had lost roughly six million citizens in the war, nearly a fifth of its prewar population, giving the anniversary genuine national weight that the state was equally happy to exploit.

The .750 silver alloy was standard for Polish commemoratives of this decade, struck at the Warsaw Mint under conditions of tightly controlled production runs typical of People's Republic issues.