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Historical coins and banknotes of Poland

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5 Zlotych, first issue of 1794
10 Zlotych, first issue of 1794
25 Zlotych, first issue of 1794
50 Zlotych, first issue of 1794
100 Zlotych, first issue of 1794
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth first issued złotych banknotes in 1794 under the authority of Tadeusz Kościuszko. The 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 złotych are depicted above. A 500 and 1,000 złotych were issued but are very rare.

This is a list of historical coins and banknotes of Poland.

Before the 20th century

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Polish coins and banknotes
Unit (ZŁ) Obverse Reverse
Coins (Kingdom of Poland)
Banknotes (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth)
4 zł
Banknotes (Duchy of Warsaw)
Coins (1815-1850)
2 zł
5 zł
Banknotes (1850-1917)

20th-century and interwar

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Polish coins and banknotes
Unit (ZŁ) Obverse Reverse
Banknotes (1917-1924)
12 mark
10 marks
50 marks
100 marks
Banknotes (1924-1939)
10 gr
2 zł (1936)
5 zł (1930)
10 zł (1929)
20 zł (1929)
20 zł (1931)
20 zł (1936)
50 zł (1929)
50 zł (1936)
100 zł (1934)
Banknotes (1939-1944)
1 zł (1940)
1 zł (1941)
2 zł (1941)
5 zł (1940)
5 zł (1941)
10 zł (1940)
20 zł (1940)
50 zł (1940)
50 zł (1941)
100 zł (1940)
100 zł (1941)
500 zł (1940)

Coins

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1924 - See Dziennik Ustaw 1924-045

Post-WWII

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Polish coins and banknotes
Image Unit (ZŁ) Obverse Reverse
Banknotes (1945-1950)
[1] 20 zł
[2] 100 zł
[3] 500 zł
[4] 1000 zł

1950-currency reform

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Series of 1948

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The banknotes of the series of 1948 were designed by Polish painter and decorative artist Wacław Borowski. The introduction of these notes was part of the currency reform of 1950,[1] so the banknotes had to be printed quickly and in secrecy; so printing works in Poland (PWPW), Czechoslovakia (STC), Hungary (Pénzjegynyomda), Sweden (Riksbankens Sedeltryckeri), and Canada (British American Bank Note Company Ltd.) were involved.

Series of 1948
Image Value Dimensions Description Date of
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse first printing issue withdrawal lapse
2 zł 120 mm × 58 mm Face value The design of the (then) future NBP building at Warsaw Insurgents Square in Warsaw 1 July 1948 30 October 1950 1 January 1960 30 June 1960
5 zł 142 mm × 67 mm Face value Farmer plowing a field with a tractor
10 zł 148 mm × 70 mm Portrait of a peasant (inspired by Mateusz Jóźwiak, the creator of cast printing matrices at PWPW) Peasants loading sheaves to a ladder wagon. 31 December 1965 30 June 1966
20 zł 160 mm × 76 mm Portrait of a woman in kerchief (nicknamed "Anielka"; the portrait was supposedly inspired by Helena Michalik (née Bujak), who was a friend of Wacław Borowski)[2][3] Kraków Cloth Hall 30 June 1977 31 December 1977
50 zł 164 mm × 78 mm Portrait of a fisherman Port of Gdynia 30 June 1978 31 December 1978
100 zł 172 mm × 82 mm Portrait of a worker (a so-called "Pstrowski"; portrait inspired by Bronisław Tomaszewski, who was a driver at PWPW) View of a factory with smoking chimneys (probably Łódź) 30 June 1977 31 December 1977
500 zł 178 mm × 85 mm Portrait of a miner in helmet Underground mining scene 31 December 1977 30 June 1978
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Series of 1974

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1974 Series
Image Value Dimensions Colour Obverse Reverse Printed

10 zł 139 x 63 mm Bluish green Józef Bem Indication of value 1982

20 zł Multicoloured Romuald Traugutt Indication of value 1982

50 zł Green Karol Świerczewski Grunwald Cross Medal 1975
[5] 100 zł Red Ludwik Waryński "Proletaryat" (19th century Polish socialist party) 1975
[6] 200 zł Violet Jarosław Dąbrowski Monument to the Dead (of the Paris Commune) by Paul Moreau-Vauthier in the Père Lachaise Cemetery 1976

500 zł Brown Tadeusz Kościuszko "Żywią i Bronią" (They feed and defend), flag of Polish soldiers in Kraków during the Kościuszko Uprising 1974

1000 zł Blue Nicolaus Copernicus Heliocentric Solar System 1975

2000 zł Brown Mieszko I Bolesław I the Brave 1977
[7] 5000 zł Green Frédéric Chopin Polonaise notes 1982
[8] 10 000 zł Green and violet Stanisław Wyspiański Kraków 1988
[9] 20 000 zł Orange Maria Skłodowska-Curie Nuclear reactor "Ewa" near Warsaw 1989
[10] 50 000 zł Brown Stanisław Staszic The Staszic Palace in Warsaw 1989
[11] 100 000 zł Blue Stanisław Moniuszko Teatr Wielki, Warsaw 1990
[12] 200 000 zł Brown Coat of arms Warsaw 1989
[13] 500 000 zł Blue and brown Henryk Sienkiewicz "Trilogy" 1990
[14] 1 000 000 zł Light brown Władysław Reymont Country landscape 1991
2 000 000 zł Multicoloured Ignacy Jan Paderewski The 1919 Coat of arms of Poland 1992
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimeter, a standard for world banknotes.

See also

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References

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