A 50 złotych 1794 Kościuszko Uprising treasury note , Series A, with a 4-digit serial number: 5979 (significantly rarer than the 5-digit version).
A natural-looking banknote, in exceptionally good condition—a rarity for this denomination. The 50 złotych 1794 note, due to the varying color of the paper used in its printing, is usually found in brown tones, with faint print and other features, such as the commissioners’ signatures, and especially the lack of visibility of the letters “B S” and the wavy line on the top margin (chemical security features designed to prevent counterfeiting). On this piece, the aforementioned features are prominent— the letters “B.S.” are high-contrast and dark against a light background.
This is a 50 złotych note from 1794, dating from the early stage of treasury note production; consequently, acquiring a piece in reasonably good condition for a collection is significantly more difficult. This first batch, which is significantly less common, is characterized by a brown coloration and thinner, more flimsy paper used for printing, in contrast to later pieces, which are dark burgundy in color and made of thicker paper.
The treasury ticket offered in this auction retains the "ribbed" texture of handmade paper, as well as exceptionally clearly visible letters "B S" and a wavy line on the top margin. The dry seal is exceptionally clear, featuring the misspelling in the word “NIEPO(Ł)EGŁOŚĆ” characteristic of this denomination, as well as the clearly visible signatures of the two commissioners, J. Klek and J. Gaczkowski.
An attractive piece, confirmed by a PMG grading note appropriate to its condition. Due to the use of unsuitable ink (during the initial printing period of this denomination) to apply the commissioners’ signatures, the ink caused localized “bleeding” where it came into contact with the paper ; this is a fairly common feature found on banknotes of this denomination with low serial numbers—as noted in the description on the slab.
References: Miłczak A4
