Bank of Poland’s banknote designs (1830-1865)

In the numismatic collection of Narodowy Bank Polski there is a folder decorated with a hand-made drawing of the national emblem of the Kingdom of Poland, depicting a black, two-headed Romanovs imperial eagle with a shield on its chest featuring a crowned white eagle and the inscription “Patterns and Designs of Paper Money of the Bank of Poland from 1830 to 1865”. The folder contains 40 hand-made banknote designs and individual banknote elements, as well as a postage stamp design. None of the projects in the folder reached full implementation in the form of a banknote put into circulation. They contained too many national elements. However, minor decorative details, guilloches and even microprinting were used for the first time to secure Polish banknotes.

In the Money Centre, in the Room dedicated to the creators and production of money, there is a showcase that is sometimes overlooked or even unnoticed by visitors. It contains images and fragments of images of the graphic designs of banknotes prepared for the Bank of Poland by Henryk Meyer and Jan Münheymer. This is undoubtedly one of the most interesting showcases, illustrating the development of design techniques and trends prevailing in the design of securities in 19th-century Europe.