Fianlly had some time to image my Poland Pattern Silver Horse and Colt Coin

[coinsarefun]

Just now had time to take some nice images of this Proof pattern pice.

Warsaw mint and only 4,020 minted.

 

A little blurry but hey want can you expect from a point and shoot camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RWB]

Nice. But is it a real pattern for proposed coinage, or a silver piece with "proba" stuck on the die? 4,020 is a huge mintage for a pattern…

[coinsarefun]

Nice. But is it a real pattern for proposed coinage, or a silver piece with "proba" stuck on the die? 4,020 is a huge mintage for a pattern…

 

 

Hey RWB, glad you have some information on this coin as I would like to

learn more about it.....please elaborate.

 

 

 

[RWB]

Several countries have had a habit of making short-run coins for sale to collectors. They stick "proba" or some other name on them to improve sales. France likes to make piedfort versions.

 

None of these fit the definition of a real "pattern" nor are they special pieces intended for a few well-connected Royal collectors. In that sense they don’t fit as novodels, either.

 

Other permutations are striking gold examples of brass circulating coins, etc. This is all very common among European mints.

[coinsarefun]

 

Thanks RWB for the explanation, so it is a valueless coin other than its silver

value. Too bad I fell for that one.

 

At least I will hope that my Russian Novodels still have some value other than its weight in copper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brg5658]

Several countries have had a habit of making short-run coins for sale to collectors. They stick "proba" or some other name on them to improve sales. France likes to make piedfort versions.

 

None of these fit the definition of a real "pattern" nor are they special pieces intended for a few well-connected Royal collectors. In that sense they don’t fit as novodels, either.

 

Other permutations are striking gold examples of brass circulating coins, etc. This is all very common among European mints.

 

Poland seems to produce more "PROBA" coins than they do non-PROBA coins for some years. All 1981 100Zl coins produced by Poland with the horse and foal (like the one above) bear the "PROBA" stamp -- there is not a non-PROBA version.

 

BUT, in the same year, there is a non-PROBA version of a similar coin (just a horse facing right) whose mintage in proof (without "PROBA") is only 12,000 coins -- with another 500 struck in Nickel with "PROBA" and 20 struck in silver with "PROBA". So it seems, sometimes PROBA means what we think of as a pattern, and other times it is used as a quasi-marketing-gimmick.

 

Given my obsession with horses, I do have an example of the right facing single horse proof (see below). The legend "ochrona środowiska" translates as "environmental protection".

 

[brg5658]

Thanks RWB for the explanation, so it is a valueless coin other than its silver

value. Too bad I fell for that one.

 

Stef,

 

It's not a value-less coin; there is quite a following of the Polish "PROBA" issues, regardless of how you translate the word "proba". I sometimes have heard it translated as "trial", "test proof", and other variations. Some of the Polish coins stamped with "PROBA" truly are pattern coins, with mintages as low as 20 pieces. I think in a sense the true definition of the word is lost in translation. I'm not enough of a collector specializing in these issues to know all of the nuances, but I know that sometimes it means one thing in our translated English sense, another time it may be more consistent with another translation.

 

All a part of the fun of the hobby I suppose.

 

By the way, I love your "PROBA" horse and foal coin! Lovely colors and design!

 

-Brandon

 

 

[coinsarefun]

Ahhhh, some great useable information brg5658.

Thanks for posting.

 

 

 

[brg5658]

PS -- The similarities in design of the 2010 Irish 15 Euro proof to the 1981 PROBA Polish coin are uncanny. I believe I already posted this ATS, but I'll post here also.

 

[coinsarefun]

PS -- The similarities in design of the 2010 Irish 15 Euro proof to the 1981 PROBA Polish coin are uncanny. I believe I already posted this ATS, but I'll post here also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I saw it and never tire of seeing it!!!

.....its beautiful

 

 

[RWB]

No, not "valueless" - there are many collectors of these things. Just understand that they are not real pattern pieces.