Well here’s the third episode of our 10-part look back at the 2014 releases of the mints of Eastern Europe and it’s been quite a bit of work. It’s our intention to cover 2015 releases from these mints on a more regular basis moving forward, but we felt we’d missed some really superb issues through last year, and while we’ve covered some, there are huge gaps that we’re going to fill.
This time we’re doing a retrospective of the issues of Polands national bank, Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP). Not to be confused with the Mint of Poland (Mennica Polska), the bank commissions coins but does not strike them. Ironically enough, the Mint of Poland handles that.
The Polish people seem to be very avid coin collectors and many of what might seem quite niche and estoric coins have quite healthy mintages. They’re lucky that the output of the NBP, like that of Lithuania and Latvia, is of such a high standard and deserves a closer look. With high quality ongoing series like the ‘Treasures of King Stanislaw August’ and ‘Polish Coin History’ there’s a lot here to interest collectors around the world.
We’ve used the banks own descriptions as they’re first-class, and clearly better than could be produced by a clod like me stumbling around Wikipedia trying to learn about Queen Jadwiga. To keep the article more compact we’ve tucked the bulk of each description into a toggle, so just click the cross in the blue square to expand it out and again to reshrink it. The information is often fascinating and well worth a perusal. Please let us know what you think as it’ll help us shape our aricles moving forward.
CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF JAN KARSKI
Jan Kozielewski went down in history under the alias of Jan Karski. He was a talented son of a craftsman from Łódź, member of the Sodality of Our Lady. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Diplomacy at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov. After the outbreak of World War II he was first in Soviet and later in German captivity. He managed to escape from both and at the end of 1939 he went underground. Due to his knowledge of foreign languages, physical fitness and qualifications he was entrusted with the role of emissary of the Polish Underground State.
GOLD OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – an image of the white eagle from the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. On both sides of the eagle – the year of issue: 2014. Along the rim – inscriptions: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (Republic of Poland), 2 zł (the face value).
GOLD REVERSE: The reverse shows an image of Jan Karski. On the right side of the coin – the dates of birth and death of the activist: 1914-2000. At the bottom – a signature of Karski.
SILVER OBVERSE: An image of the white eagle from the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. Above – the year of issue: 2014. Below – the name of the issuing country: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (Republic of Poland) and the face value: 10 zł.
SILVER REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – an image of a key referring to a hollow key in which Jan Karski smuggled micro movies with reports on Jews’ situation in Poland. On a mirror-like surface of the key – an inscription made in micro printing. Below – a signature of Jan Karski.
RELEASE: 24 APRIL (2799.00 zt in gold, 115.00 zt in silver)
DESIGNER: Sebastian Mikolajczak
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: The silver coin shines brightest for us, with the microprinted key design being a nice touch. The gold has a latent (lenticular-like) image in it that’s also quite clever, although the design is more traditional in other regards. I must confess to an ignorance of Jan Karski’s exploits, but after reading about the guy he’s clearly deserving of tremendous respect. If you’ve read the mints description above, the choice of the key design becomes eminently understandable.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 SILVER | 14.14 g | 32.00 mm | PROOF | 30,000 |
200 ZLOTY | 0.900 GOLD | 15.50 g | 27.00 mm | PROOF | 2,500 |
600 YEARS OF POLISH-TURKISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
The 600th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and Turkey in 2014 is an opportunity to celebrate this event and recall the centuries-long mutual contacts between the two countries.
RELEASE: 26 JUNE (649.00 zt for the two-coin boxed set)
DESIGNER: Urszula Walerzak (Poland), Özgür Soyyilmaz and Furkan Payas (Turkey)
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland), Turkish State Mint
COMMENT: A nice pair of coins that despite coming from two different sources and three different artists, actually complement each other very well indeed. Well packaged, the only thing holding it back is the very niche nature of the subject matter. The Polish artist, Urszula Walerzak, is responsible for the Fortuna Redux, John Paul II cuboid, and Pyramid coins from the Mint of Poland, three quite special releases.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 ZLOTY | 0.925 SILVER | 31.1 g | 38.61 mm | PROOF | 10,000 |
50 TRY | 0.925 SILVER | 31.1 g | 38.61 mm | PROOF | 10,000 |
PATRIOTS 1944 – CITIZENS 2014
In 2014, we shall celebrate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, an event holding a particular place in our history and memory. The heroism of those who stood up to fight for free and independent Poland on 1 August 1944 is an example of the highest test of patriotism. The attitude of the insurgents was unique – guided by solidarity, loyalty, and responsibility for the homeland, city, home, for others and for themselves.
OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – an image of the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. On both sides of the coat of arms – the year of issue 2014 and the face value of the coin – 20 zlotys. In the upper and lower part of the coin, along the rim – RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (the Republic of Poland).
REVERSE: In the foreground – an outline of the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. On both sides of the coat of arms – dates: 1944 and 2014. Above – an insctipion: PATRIOCI OBYWATELE (Patriots Citizens). In the lower part of the coin – an inscription: OBYWATELE PATRIOCI (Citizens Patriots).
RELEASE: 28 JULY (170.00 zt )
DESIGNER: Sebastian Mikolajczak
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: One of those designs that the East European mints do so well, the strongly symbolic artwork looks superb and there’s clearly been a lot of thought put into the details. A fitting tribute.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 ZLOTY | 0.925 Ag | 28.28 g | 38.61 mm | PROOF | 35,000 |
TREASURES OF KING STANISLAW AUGUST – LOUIS THE GREAT
The fifth coin of the series commemorates Louis I from the French Angevin dynasty (d’Anjou), son of Charles Robert and Elizabeth of Poland. Louis was King of Hungary from 1342, and in 1370 – under previously made arrangements regarding the succession of the Angevins to the Polish throne in the event there were no male descendants of Casimir the Great – he became King of Poland.
OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – an image of the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. On both sides of the coat of arms – the year of issue 2014 and the face value of the coin – 20 zlotys. In the upper and lower part of the coin, along the rim – RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (the Republic of Poland).
REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – a replica of the medal obverse with a short biography of King Casimir the Great in Latin. Along the rim – inscriptions: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (Republic of Poland), 50 ZŁ (the face value). At the bottom – the year of issue (2014) and a miniature emblem of the Republic of Poland (white eagle wearing a crown).
RELEASE: 10 SEPTEMBER (12,499.00 zt in gold, 839.00 zt in silver, incl box)
DESIGNER: Anna Wątróbska-Wdowiarska (rev), Urszula Walerzak (obv)
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: This series reminds me of the superlative ‘From Clovis to Republic’ coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris. Our Coin Series Profile on those was very popular and, judging from the response, brought in quite a few new buyers who were previously unaware of it. This ‘Treasures of King Stanislaw August’ series, while not reaching quite the same level of excellence, is a beautiful set and worthy of similar attention by the history fan. With this being just the 5th of 24 releases (3 per year), there’s still plenty of time to get onboard.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 ZLOTY | 0.999 SILVER | 62.2 g | 45.00 mm | STANDARD | 5,000 |
500 ZLOTY | 0.9999 GOLD | 62.2 g | 45.00 mm | STANDARD | 750 |
HISTORY OF POLISH COIN: MIESZKO III THE ELDER
Coin minting under the rule of Mieszko III the Elder (1173–1177 and 1181–1202) opens a new period in the history of Polish coinage – the period of bracteates or thin coins struck on one side only. They replaced the heavier, double-sided silver coins which had been in circulation until then.
OBVERSE: features an image of Mieszko III the Old taken from the drawing depicted on a paten (app. 1180) given by the King to the Cistercian monastery in Ląd, and an obverse of a contemporary 10 zloty coin.
REVERSE: depicts an image of a denarius of Mieszko III the Old with an inscription written in Hebrew alphabet. On the right, along the rim – an inscription: BRAKTEAT MIESZKA III STAREGO (the name of the coin in Polish).
RELEASE: 10 SEPTEMBER (169.00 zt)
DESIGNER: Dominika Karpińska-Kopiec
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: Another regular series from the Polish national bank, these are yet another beautiful set of designs with some attractive medieval artwork on both sides. Great for the numismatic afficionado although a proper box instead of a card would make us happier.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 Ag | 14.14 g | 32.00 mm | PROOF | 20,000 |
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF STEFAN ZEROMSKI
Stefan Żeromski was born on 14 October 1864 in Strawczyn (currently the province of Świętokrzyskie), died on 20 November 1925 in Warsaw. Buried at the Evangelical Reformed Cemetery in Warsaw. He was one of Poland’s most eminent prose writers and playwrights; a writer convinced of a special mission of the man of letters, his responsibility for shaping the nation’s and fatherland’s fate. He was writing under various pen names, e.g. Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla.
GOLD OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin: image of the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. Along the rim – face value: 200 zloty, issuing country: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA, year of issue: 2014. Around the image of the coat of arms – titles of the novels by S. Żeromski: SYZYFOWE PRACE, POPIOŁY, LUDZIE BEZDOMNI, PRZEDWIOŚNIE, WIERNA RZEKA, DOKTOR PIOTR, WIATR OD MORZA, PUSZCZA JODŁOWA.
GOLD REVERSE: In the central part of the coin: portrait of Stefan Żeromski in a square frame. In the bottom part of the coin – inscription: STEFAN ŻEROMSKI, years of birth and death of the novelist: 1864–1925.
SILVER OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – image of a feather. Below, left-hand: image of the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland. Left-hand, along the rim – issuing country: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA, year of issue: 2014. In the upper part of the coin, left-hand – face value: 10 zloty.
SILVER REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – portrait of Stefan Żeromski. Right-hand – stylized inscription: S. Żeromski. Below: years of birth and death of the novelist: 1864–1925
RELEASE: 02 OCTOBER (2799.00 zt in gold, 110.00 zt in silver)
DESIGNER: Robert Kotowicz (silver), Dominika Karpińska-Kopiec (gold).
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: Again it’s the silver coin that stands out for us with some slightly more adventurous design. Both have quite traditional reverse side artwork, and both have very nice obverse sides. The gold has a decent box but the silver is carded, something we’re not keen on for precious metal coins here.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 SILVER | 14.14 g | 32.00 mm | PROOF | 30,000 |
200 ZLOTY | 0.900 GOLD | 15.50 g | 27.00 mm | PROOF | 2,500 |
POLISH PAINTERS OF THE 19TH/20TH C. – JOZEF CHELMONSKI
Józef Chełmoński’s oeuvre captures the quintessence of the Polish countryside, the realm of its inhabitants, nature and landscape. The artist remained faithful to those themes throughout his lifetime. He grew up in a family estate near Łowicz, and spent the last 25 years of his life in a rural manor house of Kuklówka near Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
OBVERSE: Fragment of Józef Chełmoński’s painting Night in the Ukraine, 1877. On the upper right side– image of an eagle established as the national emblem of the Republic of Poland. Below – m/w (mint mark). Surrounding the eagle – inscription: 20 ZŁ (20 zloty), a separating dot and inscription: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (the Republic of Poland), year of issue: 2014.
REVERSE: Background: fragment of painting Departing cranes, 1870. In the foreground – image of Józef Chełmoński (from the portrait created by Leon Wyczółkowski). Below – inscription: JÓZEF CHEŁMOŃSKI, years of birth and death of the painter: 1849–1914.
RELEASE: 07 NOVEMBER (199.00 zt)
DESIGNER: Ewa Olszewska-Borys
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: It isn’t often that the Polish bank incorporates colour into it’s designs, but it’s been used subtley and inventively here, and to no detriment to the integrity of the overall look. It’s getting a little repetitive saying it, but this is another attractive design that we’re sure will appeal to art fans.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIMENSIONS | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 ZLOTY | 0.925 Ag | 28.28 g | 40.00 x 28.00 mm | PROOF | 30,000 |
TREASURES OF KING STANISLAW AUGUST – JADWIGA OF ANJOU
The sixth coin of the series commemorates Jadwiga of Anjou, daughter of Louis I of Hungary, who was crowned Queen of Poland in 1384. In 1386, Jadwiga was married to Ladislas Jagiello, Grand Duke of Lithuania. Despite her young age, thanks to her strong international position and wise politics, she gained prestige and respect. Known also for her piety and charity, publicly venerated, Jadwiga was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1997.
OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – inscription: LUDOVICI FILIA/TERTIOGENITA/CORONATA IN REGINAM/POLONIAE A.D. 1384. D. 15 OCTOB:/NUPTA ULADISLAO/JAGELLONI/17. FEBRUARI: A.D. 1386./RUSSIAM RUBRAM AB/HUNGARIS OCUPATAM/POLON: RESTITUIT./OBIIT A.D. 1399./AETAT: 28. Below it – image of the coat of arms eagle established as the national emblem of the Republic of Poland, dividing into two parts the year of issue: 20-14. Along the rim – inscriptions (separated by a decorative dot): RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (the Republic of Poland), 500 ZŁ (face value).
REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – portrait of Jadwiga of Anjou wearing a crown. Above it – inscription: HEDVIGIS.
RELEASE: 04 DECEMBER (12,499.00 zt in gold, 839.00 zt in silver, incl box)
DESIGNER: Anna Wątróbska-Wdowiarska (rev), Robert Kotowicz (obv)
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: More of the same that made the Louis the Great coin so appreciated. Great stuff. We’d write a Coin Series Profile on the series but with only 6 of the planned 24 coins actually out, it’s a little premature.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 ZLOTY | 0.999 SILVER | 62.2 g | 45.00 mm | STANDARD | 5,000 |
500 ZLOTY | 0.9999 GOLD | 62.2 g | 45.00 mm | STANDARD | 750 |
HISTORY OF POLISH COIN – LESZEK I THE WHITE
The end of the 12th century and the whole of 13th century was a period dominated by bracteates, i.e. thin, one-sided coins. At the same time, it was the darkest period in the history of the Polish minting, coinciding with the fragmentation of Poland.
OBVERSE: In the central part of the coin – image of a10-zloty coin, stylized for contemporary Polish circulation coins. To the right – image of a seal attributed to Leszek I the White.
REVERSE: depicts a bracteate of Leszek I the White against the Romanesque church of Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury in Sulejów. Left-side, along the rim – inscription (name of the coin): BRAKTEAT LESZKA BIAŁEGO (bracteate of Leszek I the White).
RELEASE: 04 DECEMBER (159.00 zt)
DESIGNER: Dominika Karpińska-Kopiec
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: As a history nut, I’m a big fan of this series, and collectors of medieval coins will likely also want to check these out. Very reasonably priced as well, although kill the card please, and how about a box to collect the set in?
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 Ag | 14.14 g | 32.00 mm | PROOF | 20,000 |
HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC – GRZEGORZ CIECHOWSKI
Grzegorz Ciechowski (29 August 1957–22 December 2001) – the most outstanding poet of the Polish rock music, composer, music producer, musician, leader and frontman of Republikarock band. He performed solo as Obywatel G.C. and Grzegorz z Ciechowa. He started as a poet, but turned to music in search for a stronger form of communication for his literary work.
OBVERSE: The main graphic motif of the obvers are black and white transversal stripes – the hallmark of the band Republika. On the middle stripe – inscription: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA. Above it – image of an eagle established as the national emblem of the Republic of Poland. Left-side – decorative elements: piano keys. In the bottom – face value: 10 ZŁ.
REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – image of Grzegorz Ciechowski against black and white transversal stripes. Along the rim – inscriptions: HISTORIA POLSKIEJ MUZYKI ROZRYWKOWEJ/ GRZEGORZ CIECHOWSKI.
SQUARE OBVERSE: Left side of the coin depicts an image of a vinyl record. In the top right-hand corner – image of an eagle established as the national emblem of the Republic of Poland. Below – year of issue: 2014. In the bottom left-hand corner – face value: 10 ZŁ. In the middle, vertically – inscription: RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (the Republic of Poland).
SQUARE REVERSE: In the central part of the coin – image of an album cover of the record “Obywatel Świata” [Citizen of the World]. Along the rim – inscriptions: GRZEGORZ CIECHOWSKI/HISTORIA POLSKIEJ MUZYKI ROZRYWKOWEJ.
RELEASE: 11 DECEMBER (120.00 zt square, 110.00 zt round)
DESIGNER: Grzegorz Pfeifer
MINT: Mennica Polska (Mint of Poland)
COMMENT: While the subject matter isn’t really my thing, I’ve got to say the reverse side of the square coin and the obverse side of the round one are excellent. The square coin portrait is particularly impressive, showing strong detail and a good use of the space. Either are infinitely better than the garish, coloured coin you’d normally expect from coins of this genre, and they’ve treated this pop music star in the mature way that a classical composer would be commemorated. Well done.
FACE VALUE | METAL | WEIGHT | DIAMETER | QUALITY | MINTAGE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 SILVER | 14.4 g | 28.2 x 28.2 mm | PROOF | 30,000 |
10 ZLOTY | 0.925 SILVER | 14.4 g | 32.00 mm | PROOF | 30,000 |
Leave A Comment