Catalog
1 Zloty
| Issuer | Bank Polski |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#51 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANK POLSKI JEDEN ZŁOTY WARSZAWA dn. 28 Lutego 1919, roku Dyrekcja Banku Polskiego (Translation: BANK OF POLAND / ONE ZLOTY / WARSAW, 28 February 1919 / Directorate of Bank of Poland) |
| 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. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| 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.