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012 - PWPW Bee Test Note
| Issuer | Polish Security Printing Works (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych S.A.) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2012 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Polymer |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | POLSKA WYTWÓRNIA PAPIERÓW WARTOŚCIOWYCH 012 Pszczoła miodna J. KOPECKA DEL. SC. K. MICHALCZUK SC. 012 (Translation: Polish Security Printing Works 012 Honeybee J. KOPECKA DEL. SC. K. MICHALCZUK SC. 012) |
| Reverse description | Three intaglio vignettes of honeybee castes — worker, drone, and queen — arranged across the centre, each labelled in italic script below. A botanical sprig with a bee appears at left, decorative floral underprints border the right margin, and a descriptive text block in Polish cursive script occupies the lower centre. |
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| Comments |
PWPW produces these test notes specifically to demonstrate and market their security substrate and printing capabilities to potential government clients — they are trade samples, not currency. The 2012 bee-themed piece was part of a broader push by PWPW to promote their proprietary polymer technology at a time when several central banks were actively reconsidering paper substrates. These notes were never intended for circulation and were distributed in limited quantities at industry events and to institutional contacts.
The inclusion of a watermark on a polymer substrate is the technical point of interest here — simulating a watermark effect on plastic film requires a different optical approach than traditional laid paper, and demonstrating it convincingly is precisely the kind of proof-of-concept these notes exist to provide.