Catalog
5 Zlotych
| Issuer | Bank Polski |
|---|---|
| Year | 1830 |
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| In circulation to | 1831 |
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| Obverse description | Typeset note printed in brown-black ink on plain paper, with the large numeral '5' set within an ornate hexagonal cartouche flanked by two circular rosette medallions at the top centre. The issuer's name 'BANK POLSKI' is set in bold letterpress below, followed by the promise text 'wypłaci Okazicielowi w Srebrze' and the denomination spelled out as 'ZŁOTYCH PIĘĆ' within an oval guilloche frame. The date 'w Warszawie dnia 1e Maja 1830' is inscribed in manuscript style, and two manuscript signatures appear at the bottom beneath the printed titles 'PREZES BANKU' and 'DYREKTOR BANKU', with a small heraldic eagle vignette centred between them. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 5 Zł |
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| Comments |
Bank Polski was established by the Kingdom of Poland's government in 1828, operating under the constitutional monarchy framework that gave Congress Poland a degree of financial autonomy within the Russian Empire. This 5 Złotych note dates to 1830 — the same year the November Uprising broke out against Russian rule. Notes issued that year circulated under conditions of active insurrection, and the bank's operations were severely disrupted when Russian forces reasserted control in 1831.
The Pick A19 designation places this among the earliest issues of the bank. Lubowidzki served as the bank's first director; his signature here is one of the few tangible artifacts of that brief window of Polish financial independence before the uprising collapsed and the bank was subordinated to St. Petersburg's monetary authority.