Beautiful World Coins

The Beatification of John Paul II Silver Proof 2011 Coin from Poland

The National Bank of Poland commemorates the Beatification of John Paul II with this colorful 2011 silver proof coin. Before hundreds of thousands of the Roman Catholic faithful, the late Pope John Paul II was beatified Sunday May 1st, 2011 in a ceremony that declared him "blessed" and put the Polish pontiff one step closer to sainthood. A packed St. Peter's Square erupted in applause when the current pope, Benedict XVI, recited the words that elevated his predecessor, whose massive portrait was then unveiled over the doorway of the basilica.

Karol Józef Wojtyła, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometres from Krakow, on May 18, 1920. He was elected Pope on October 16, 1978 and on October 22 began His Universal Pastoral Ministery in the Church. No other Pope has encountered so many individuals like John Paul II: to date, more than 17,600,000 pilgrims have participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1,160). Such figure is without counting all other special audiences and religious ceremonies held [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone] and the millions of faithful met during pastoral visits made in Italy and throughout the world. It must also be remembered the numerous government personalities encountered during 38 official visits and in the 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and even the 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers. He died in Rome, in Vatican, at 9.37 p.m. on saturday April 2, 2005.

The reverse features the Pope John Paul II against a colored image of the terrestrial globe and a semicircular inscription: BEATYFIKACJA JANA PAWLA II and the date 1 V 2011.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2011

Face value: 20 zlotych

Finish: Proof with colored reverse

Composition: 92.5% Silver

Size: 38.61 mm

Weight: 28.28 grams

Mintage: 80,000

The 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw 2010 Silver Proof Coin from Poland

The National Bank of Poland introduces this 20 Zt silver proof 2010 coin to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. It features a Polish soldier with a gun, and a colored fragment of 'Miracle at the Vistula', a painting by Jerzy Kossak.

The Battle of Warsaw (also referred to as the Miracle at the Vistula) is a battle fought in August 1920 during the Polish-Soviet war. It is considered one of the decisive battles in the history of the world as it prevented the loss of independence by Poland and the spreading of the Communist revolution to the Western Europe.

The obverse shows Józef Piłsudski and a map illustrating the movements of the Polish army between Otwock and Radzymin in 1920, the face value, the state emblem and the vertical inscription: 'RZEPOSPOLITA POLSKA 2010' (REPUBLIC OF POLAND 2010).

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2010

Face value: 20 zlotych

Finish: Proof with colored reverse

Composition: 92.5% Silver

Size: 38.61 mm

Weight: 28.28 grams

Mintage: 50,000

The latest in the Animals of the World Series: The 2010 Lesser Horseshoe Bat Silver Proof Coin

The National Bank of Poland just issued their latest coin in the Animals of the World Series. It features the lesser horseshoe bat and shows flying bats, a wooden shed, and silhouettes of bats hanging upside down.

The lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) belongs to the family of horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae). Currently, the genus consists of 77 species, five of which inhabit Europe. In Poland, the habitat of the lesser horseshoe bat covers the Kraków-Częstochowa Highland, the Polish Carpathian mountains (excluding the Tatras) and the Polish Sudety mountains. Single specimens have been spotted in Podkarpacie and Śląsk Opolski area. The most numerous population inhabits the Beskidy mountains. The lesser horseshoe bat (average weight: 4–8 grams) is one of the smallest bats living in Poland. Its fur is soft and fluffy, light brown or grey- and-brown on the dorsal side; the bat’s ventral fur is paler and greyish. Juveniles are coloured darker than adult bats.

According to the Polish Red Data Book of Animals, the species is classified as an endangered species. Adramatic decline in the population of horseshoe bats in Europe (in Poland, reaching over 90%) took place in 1950s–1980s. This came as a consequence of a widespread use of highly toxic pesticides, both in agriculture and forestry. Currently, the population of the lesser horseshoe bat appears to have reached a stable number, and showing an increase in some locations. Nevertheless, it remains a species highly in danger of extinction.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2010

Face value: 20 zlotych

Finish: Proof

Composition: 92.5% Silver

Size: 38.61 mm

Weight: 28.28 grams

Mintage: 100,000

Coins for the Polish Olympic Team at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games

The National Bank of Poland just issued three coins commemorating the Polish Olympic Team at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Poland is expecting ambitious performances, new personal and national records and sportsmanlike conduct from Polish winter athletes.

For the first time in history, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games will be held in a closed-roof stadium. The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France, in January and February 1924. They were then held as the International Winter Sports Week events, and were officially proclaimed the First Winter Olympic Games only a year later. The Polish national team, present at the competition among 16 national teams, consisted of only nine sportsmen.

All three coins show a stylized image of a maple leaf, a stylized logo of the Polish Olympic Committee, POLSKA REPREZENTACJA OLIMPIJSKA VANCOUVER 2010 (Polish Olympic Team Vancouver 2010), the face value, a stylized image of a snowflake, RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA (Republic of Poland), the year of issue, an image of the Eagle established as the emblem of the Republic of Poland, and the Mint’s mark. The gold coin shows a male cross-country skier. The silver coin shows two male speed skaters and a male biathlete. The 2Zl coin shows a male ski jumper.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2010

Face value: 200, 10 and 2 zlotych

Finish: Proof (200Zt, 10Zt) and Standard (2Zt)

Composition: 90% Gold (200Zt), 92.5% Silver (10Zt) and 89% Copper, 5% Zinc, 5% Aluminum, 1% Nickel (2Zt)

Size: 27 mm (200Zt, 2Zt) and 32 mm (10Zt)

Weight: 15.5 grams (200Zt), 14.14 grams (10Zt) and 8.15 grams (2Zt)

Mintage: 8,000 (200Zt), 80,000 (10Zt), and 1,400,000 (2Zt)

Four 2009 Silver and Gold Coins Celebrating Poland's Road to Freedom

The National Bank of Poland just issued four coins commemorating the 20-year anniversary of the June 4th, 1989 elections.

The elections of June 4th, 1989, were the first parliamentary elections in the Polish People’s Republic neither held under compulsion nor falsified. As a result, a new parliamentary and governmental system was established and the third Republic of Poland came into existence.

The 200-Zloty gold coin shows a silhouette of a person raising a hand and making the “V for victory” sign. In the background, a stylized image of the Sejm hall and people inside. The 25-Zloty gold coin shows a stylized inscription, SOLIDARNOŚC (Solidarity), replicating the logo of the Independent and Self-governing Solidarity Trade Union. The 10-Zloty silver coin shows a stylized image of Pope John Paul II holding a crosier in front of a crowd. Above the crowd, an inscription, SOLIDARNOŚĆ, in red and grey colors. The 2-Zloty coin shows a fragment of the conference hall of the Round Table talks with people inside. In the centre, a stylized image of a calendar page showing June 4th, 1989.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2009

Face value: 200, 25, 10 and 2 zlotych

Finish: Proof (200Zt, 25Z, and 10Zt), and Standard (2Zt)

Composition: 90% Gold (200Zt and 25Zt), 92.5% Silver (10Zt), and 89% Copper, 5% Zinc, 5% Aluminum, 1% Nickel (2Zt)

Size: 27 mm (200Zt and 2Zt), 12 mm (25Zt), and 32 mm (10Zt)

Weight: 15.5 grams (200Zt), 1 grams (25Zt), 14.14 grams (10Zt), and 8.15 grams (2Zt)

Mintage: 10,000 (200Zt), 40,000 (25Zt), 100,000 (10Zt), and 1,300,000 (2Zt)

This Silver and Glass Coin Celebrates 400 Years of Polish Settlement in North America

The National Bank of Poland just issued a unique 2008 silver 10 zlotych coin with a glass core commemorating the 400 years of Polish settlement in North America. The glass core shows a stylized image of a man blowing glassware. The ring shows fragments of a stylized map of Virginia, ships, settlers, Natives, and men smelting glass.

In 1606, king James I Stuart chartered the Virginia Company of London with the right to colonize and exploit the resources of the southern part of North America. On this basis, the English started the establishment of their own colonies in the New World. In December 1606, a hundred British settlers ventured across the Atlantic. Jamestown, the first permanent outpost, was established about 40 miles from the mouth of the James river entering the Chesapeake Bay, on the land inhabited then by the Powhatan confederation of the Algonquian tribes. The next party landed in Jamestown in 1608, with eight people from Prussia and Poland, most probably coopers, making barrels to store food, glass-makers, and tar makers, who could produce charcoal, coal and wood tar a well as potash used for the construction and operation of sailing ships. Those first anonymous Polish settlers pioneered the emigration from the territory of Poland to North America, particularly large in the second half of the 19th century.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2008

Face value: 10 zlotych

Finish: Standard

Composition: 92.5% silver, with glass core

Size: 32 mm

Weight: 14.14 grams

Mintage: 126,000

The 450th Anniversary of Postal Service in Poland 2008 Silver Proof Coin

The National Bank of Poland just issued a beautiful 2008 silver proof 10 zlotych coin with holographic image commemorating the 450th Anniversary of postal service in Poland. The hologram on the obverse shows a stylized image of a mounted post rider on horse playing the trumpet. The reverse shows a stylized image of a 16th century post courier.

On October 18th, 1558, king Sigismundus II Augustus (Zygmunt August) issued an official legal act concerning Polish postal service. This day is recognized as the beginning of the post in Poland. The first regular postal service ran from Cracow via Vienna and Graz to Venice; a letter took 9 days to reach the addressee. A few years later, postal services were established between Cracow and Vilnius.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2008

Face value: 10 zlotych

Finish: Proof with hologram

Composition: 92.5% silver

Size: 32 mm

Weight: 14.14 grams

Mintage: 135,000

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on two beautiful Silver Coins from Poland

The National Bank of Poland just issued two superb 2008 silver proof 10 zlotych coins commemorating the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Since the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, Polish athletes have won a total of 269 medals, with athletics the most successful sport.

The first coin features a gold-plated sphere with the Polish Olympic Committee logo in the center and shows a swimmer. Its obverse shows a stylized image of a dragon from the Nine Dragons Wall located in the Baihai Park in Beijing.

The second coin features a square hole and shows a windsurfer. Its obverse shows a fragment of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2008

Face value: 10 zlotych

Finish: Proof

Composition: 92.5% silver

Size: 32 mm

Weight: 14.14 grams

Mintage: 140,000 (the golden sphere coin), 150,000 (the square-holed coin)

Siberian exiles on this Polish silver coin with a zircon crystal

The National Bank of Poland just issued an exceptional 2008 silver proof 10 zlotych coin commemorating the Siberian exiles, the lost generations of the Polish nation. The reverse of this historically significant coin features a zircon crystal at the center of a stylized representation of the trees in Syberia. The obverse shows silhouettes of human figures with the inscription: "… bylismy tlumem bezimiennym" (… we were a nameless crowd).

From the NBP's documentation:

The term "Sybiracy" (the Siberians) is a colloquialism and is primarily used in two meanings. In Russia, it refers to the inhabitants of Siberia who were not members of indigenous tribes and Asian peoples. (...) However, in Poland the term "Sybiracy" has come to denote all the Poles who were sent into exile and forced to settle in Siberia ("sent into exile to Siberia") from where some of them did not return. (...) Poles first came to Siberia as prisoners of war in the first half of the 17th century, but the actual history of the Polish Siberian exiles begins after the suppression of the Confederation of Bar in 1768. (...) It is estimated that 16,800 Poles and 1,800 members of their families were sent into exile between 1863 and 1867, as a result of the failure of the January 1863 Uprising. (...) Most of the "Siberian exiles" returned to the Second Polish Republic during or after World War I, but some Poles did not leave Siberia and became "Siberians" in the Russian sense of the word.

Mint: Warsaw

Year: 2008

Face value: 10 zlotych

Finish: Proof

Composition: 92.5% silver

Size: 32 mm

Weight: 14.14 grams

Mintage: 135,000