50 Zlotys Bolesław II Śmiały, Trial Strike

This is a trial strike (próba) from Poland's prolific proof and pattern program of the early 1980s — a period when the National Bank was issuing commemorative designs at a remarkable pace even as the country was entering the acute phase of its political crisis. Martial law was declared in December 1981, the same year this piece was struck. Pattern issues from this window are frequently better documented by catalog than by surviving example count, and the nickel trials in particular were produced in very small numbers for internal approval purposes before authorized versions went forward.