This iron pattern was struck in 1936 as part of Poland's search for a cheaper coinage alloy during a period of sustained fiscal austerity following the Great Depression. The Second Polish Republic's mint experimented with ferrous compositions for several denominations around this time, though none entered circulation — iron's susceptibility to corrosion made it impractical for everyday use, and the trials were quietly abandoned.
Surviving examples are institutional rarities, most traceable to the Warsaw Mint's own archives.
This iron pattern was struck in 1936 as part of Poland's search for a cheaper coinage alloy during a period of sustained fiscal austerity following the Great Depression. The Second Polish Republic's mint experimented with ferrous compositions for several denominations around this time, though none entered circulation — iron's susceptibility to corrosion made it impractical for everyday use, and the trials were quietly abandoned.
Surviving examples are institutional rarities, most traceable to the Warsaw Mint's own archives.