Unquestionably the most prestigious, one of the rarest Polish banknotes.
The highest denomination of the first, Polish banknotes from the period of the Kosciuszko Insurrection, the mintage of which amounted to a trace thousand pieces. An item so legendary and at the same time rare that collectors at the very beginning of their adventure with paper money assume in advance that acquiring a value of this class will not be possible.
Banknote known only from the largest collections of Polish banknotes min. It is known only from the largest collections of Polish banknotes, including the Lucow Collection and the collections of the Czapski Museum in Cracow and the Ethnographic Museum in Lodz. Since recently this currency has also been in the collection of the Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki Zdroj. In other private collections close to us, it is known only in a few collections scattered around the world. Since 1989, only four domestic auction listings are known! The banknote is so rare that it didn't even make it to the famous 5th WCN auction, during which the Dabrowski Collection of extremely rare Polish banknotes was auctioned, which is still considered the best auction related to paper money to date.
Visually, very nice state of preservation, especially for an object of this class. Broken several times in the field, with spot delamination of the paper at the line of the horizontal break. Rated by the restrictive PCGS Currency (not to be confused with PCGS) at VF 30 i.e. st.3. Banknote in natural state of preservation. Vibrant colors, pleasantly saturated, intense yellow, characteristic of the denomination in question. We do not see any traces of prolonged exposure to sunlight, which is an important element of description for long Insurrection tickets, as many tickets were treated as patriotics, being placed in display cases. Contrasting print, it stands out superbly against the naturally yellow color of the paper. Dry stamp very well preserved and legible, and most importantly still glossy.
Piece printed on a piece of sheet with the full inscription element of the Hoonig & Zoonen watermark and a fragment of the coat of arms. This is the most impressive element of the watermark, which gives the offered value a unique character. Out of the four pieces listed so far, only one had an incomplete(?) watermark fragment, while in the Lucow Collection a piece with a watermark was not recorded(!). The piece presented and auctioned can boldly be called a specimen in the context in question .
The banknote's provenance also gives it a unique character. This piece was sold by our company years ago in a direct offer to a large domestic collection, but before that it was hosted for decades in a large foreign collection, the owner of which claimed that this particular piece was personally given to Tadeusz Kosciuszko during his visit to Sant Petersburg. Of course, it is impossible to verify such volatile information, but given the authority of the previous owners, we have no reason to doubt this account.
Observing the recent listings of the highest denominations of Kosciuszko tickets, we are under no illusion that the demand for values from the absolute top does not cease, and each new purchase opportunity requires more money. Being in possession of the highest denomination, first Polish banknotes multiplies the prestige and value of your collection of Polish banknotes, placing it in the top tier by default.
The banknote on offer is undoubtedly the "Holy Grail" of Polish banknotes. In the presented variant with a fully inscribed watermark fragment, we are rubbing shoulders with the unique, in the real sense of the word. A museum-grade object, for which the resources devoted to it are quickly forgotten, and the missed opportunity to purchase is regretted for years to come.
