Statni Tiskarna Cenin Test Note - Alphonse Mucha

Státní Tiskárna Cenin produced this test note in 1993 partly to showcase its intaglio and holographic foil capabilities to potential clients in the newly independent Czech Republic — a printer actively marketing itself on the international security printing circuit. The choice of Mucha artwork as source material was deliberate: his imagery was not only out of copyright and immediately recognizable, but carried enough fine tonal detail to stress-test plate engraving at the upper range of what the press could produce.

Test notes from STC in this period rarely left the building in any quantity. Collector examples typically arrived through the philatelic and numismatic trade channels the printer itself maintained.