A unique, intriguingand undoubtedly very rare piece of the 25 gold Insurrection
A banknote that was certainly not fully completed at the Treasury Ticket Printing Office.
Undoubtedly, the central copperplate print is reflected from the correct dies. The paper and seal imprint are also correct, while the official printing most likely ended at this stage. Perhaps this is an unfinished banknote from the final stage, some form of proof sheets, or a rejected version for unknown reasons, based on which the remaining elements of the banknote have already been completed by hand.
The frame is hand-drawn, although in this case it very closely mirrors the original woodcut frame (there is a piece in our archive from a dozen years ago, where such a frame was made much more ineptly).
Also forged are the signatures on the banknote (including the twisting of the name), as well as the numbering.
An extensive study of this type of banknote was presented by Mr. Pawel Pawlowski on PortalNumizmatyczny.pl classifying it as a forgery to the detriment of the issuer, from the era. Mr. Robert Jadrych got involved in the polemic, opposing such an unequivocal classification. Arguing his opinion on the grounds that the copperplate print is undoubtedly original, and that a forgery to the detriment of the issuer, in the era, is historically and economically unlikely, as these banknotes were primarily disapproved of and the penalties for forgery were draconian.
It is possible that the completion of further elements of the banknotes was done in a later period, after the end of the Insurrection. All the more so because a piece of 25 zloty without a frame (copperplate printing only) is present in the Lucow collection (no. 28), which confirms that such pieces existed and survived.
Undoubtedly, this is an interesting item that requires further research and findings. On the other hand, there is no doubt about its rarity.
