Mint of Poland | mint | www.metalmarket.eu
Mint of Poland
History of creation
The date of the establishment of the Mint of Poland is considered to be 10. february 1766, when it began operating under the name of the Warsaw Mint. It is also the day when the mint reform came into force and the new monetary system was introduced in Poland. Initially, the mint primarily minted ducats, and over time also minted military decorations. In 1792, at the behest of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the Warsaw Mint began minting the Order of Virtuti Militari, the highest military decoration.
The Mint's dynamic period of development was interrupted by the partitions. 9. january 1796, soon after the Prussian army entered Warsaw, the mint was closed and taken over by the Prussian state. Its operations were not restored until 14 years later, when it began minting coins for the Warsaw Principality. However, the boom times did not last long. In 1842, the slow process of liquidation of the Warsaw Mint was initiated, which was connected with the introduction of Russian currency in the lands of the Kingdom of Poland. The official closure took place on January 1, 1868, and all production equipment was transported from Warsaw to St. Petersburg.
Many years had to wait for the next reactivation of the mint's operations, as it did not officially open until 14. april 1924 - this time already under the name of the State Mint. Shortly thereafter, the mint received another blow - in 1939, the mint buildings were occupied by the Third Reich, and the bullion and numismatic collection were overwhelmingly confiscated. In 1945, the mint once again resumed operations, and over time the scope of its services was supplemented by the processing of precious metals.
However, dynamic development did not occur until the 1990s. Coins again began to be decorated with the national emblem - the crowned eagle and the name of the state - the Republic of Poland, a company store was opened, the first gold bullion coins were minted ("The Eagle of the Bielik"), and the company was listed on the stock exchange. In 2005, the name of the State Mint S.A. was replaced by the Mint of Poland S.A., which remains relevant to this day.
Curiosity
The Mint of Poland boasts an excellent reputation worldwide, in addition to having won many prestigious awards. Several records also belong to it. Presented in 2015, the silver coin, commemorating 10. anniversary of the death of John Paul II, is the world's largest coin with his image and one of the largest silver coins in the world. Its weight was 10 kg and its diameter was 210 mm. It was minted with the help of a 4-stroke coin press, whose pressure reached 2,500 tons. The coin was produced in only 10 copies, which were momentarily sold out.
Production volume
As part of its operations, the Mint of Poland mints both circulation coins and collector or bullion coins. It produces coins not only on behalf of the National Bank of Poland, but also on behalf of foreign issuers and central banks - m. in.: Ukraine, Armenia, Thailand, Bolivia, Paraguay or Dominican Republic. In addition, it manufactures bars of varying weights, medals and state medals, stamps and test stamps, date stamps and stamps.
Such a wide and varied range makes the scale of the Mint's production truly enormous. Several hundred million coins were minted for the NBP in 2021 alone - nearly 40 million five-zloty coins, nearly 41 million two-zloty coins and more than 32 million gold coins. Even higher volumes apply to coins of lower denominations - pennies alone were minted nearly 320 million.
Popular products
Probably the most distinctive coin in the Mint's offering is the "Bielik". It is a coin minted from 999.9 gold in four denomination versions: pLN 50, PLN 100, PLN 200 and PLN 500, which correspond to the most common coin weights - 1/10 oz, ¼ oz, ½ oz and 1 oz respectively. The obverse is decorated with the image of a white eagle (the emblem of the Republic of Poland), the denomination, the year of issue and the inscription: "Republic of Poland." The reverse, in turn, bears the image of a white eagle, the designation of the gold sample and its weight. The investment offer is complemented by gold bars of varying weights - from 1-gram and up to 1-kilogram bars.
Much richer is the offer addressed to collectors. It is formed by spatial, commemorative, commemorative and jewelry coins, which will delight the most demanding customers. We are talking, for example, about coins commemorating important historical events or outstanding Poles - m. in.: "100th anniversary of Poland's independence", "100th anniversary of the Polish national flag", "200th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Warsaw", "150th anniversary of the birth of Stefan Żeromski" or "Canonization of John Paul II - 27 IV 2014".
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