One of the unique proof prints documenting the stages of the creation of the first 5-złoty banknote of the Second Polish Republic.
A superbly executed portrait of Prince Józef Poniatowski by Eugene Gasperini“Gaspe,” the main part of which adorned the 5 zlotych banknotes from 1919 and 1924.
A precise, three-layer print in shades of green.
Composed of a main layer, an intermediate layer, and an underprint. With the visible signature of the engraver, who worked in France, beneath the portrait (E. GASPE).
Dimensions: ~100 x 100 mm (print within a +/- 7.5 x 7.5 cm rectangle).
Proof prints are the only surviving records of the complex process of banknote production. These are usually extremely rare, one-of-a-kind items documenting the successive stages of production. They allow one to closely examine the artwork of each layer and notice details invisible on the final banknote. Now included in the collection, they lend it a unique spirit of the era.
