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500 Zlotys Environmental Protection - Owls
| Issuer | Mint of Poland (Mennica Polska) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1986 |
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| Composition | Silver (.750) |
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| Obverse description | The Polish state eagle displayed with wings spread, rendered in high relief at centre, facing dexter with open beak and no crown, consistent with the People's Republic heraldic style. The date 1986 is divided by the eagle's talons, with '19' to the left and '86' to the right. The denomination 'ZŁ 500 ZŁ' appears in large numerals along the lower portion of the field. The circular legend 'POLSKA RZECZPOSPOLITA LUDOWA' runs along the upper periphery in Latin script. The mint mark 'MW' appears below the eagle. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Poland's Environmental Protection series ran through much of the 1980s under the Polish People's Republic, deploying collector coinage as a vehicle for conservation messaging at a moment when the country's industrial output — driven hard by central planning targets — was generating some of the worst air and water pollution in Europe. The Silesian region alone was an ecological catastrophe by any measure. Minting coins about wildlife preservation while state factories poisoned the Vistula was not lost on observers at the time.
Struck in .750 silver rather than the finer alloys more common to prestige issues of the era, this piece was primarily aimed at the Western export market through Pewex and Baltona hard-currency channels.