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1 Zloty
| Issuer | Bank Polski |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | An intaglio portrait vignette of Tadeusz Kościuszko is set within a circular guilloche frame at left, rendered in blue on a fine geometric underprint that covers the entire field. The issuing authority title BANK POLSKI appears in a curved banner at upper right, with the denomination JEDEN ZŁOTY in large bold letterpress below it, accompanied by the place and date of issue WARSZAWA dn. 28 Lutego 1919, roku and the inscription Dyrekcja Banku Polskiego. Corner ornaments carry the numeral 1, and two manuscript signatures appear at lower right above the serial number. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in blue on a geometric lattice underprint matching the obverse, with a bold large numeral 1 at centre-left and the denomination ZŁOTY below it. To the right stands an intaglio vignette of the crowned Polish White Eagle with wings spread, rendered in fine line engraving. A legal tender declaration in Polish occupies the upper portion, while an anti-counterfeiting warning in Polish runs along the lower margin, all framed by an ornamental border with corner numeral devices. |
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| Comments |
Bank Polski's 1919 1 Zloty was among the first notes issued for the newly reconstituted Polish state, a country that had been partitioned out of existence for over 120 years and was simultaneously fighting wars on multiple fronts — against Bolshevik forces to the east and contested borders to the west and south. The decision to contract printing to the Banque de France reflected both the absence of domestic printing infrastructure and France's strong political interest in a stable, sovereign Poland as a buffer against both Germany and Soviet Russia.
The Banque de France connection also carried a practical implication: watermark security was a French printing house specialty, and the paper quality sourced through Paris was considerably more consistent than anything Poland could have produced domestically in 1919.