...Poland - 20 Zlotych 2022 Protection Of Poland's Eastern Border Collector Note

 Rzeczpospolita Polska
(Republic of Poland)

Naradowy Bank Polski
(National Bank of Poland)
Currency - Zloty (PLN)

 

Here is another Polish numismatic legal tender banknote of 20 zlotych, released on 19.07.2022. Since 2014, Poland has been releasing numismatic, and commemorative/collector banknotes every year, and there are more to come too. So, please get ready for more.

Now, I must first point out that technically, this is not a commemorative note, but rather a collector's banknote. I do not believe that it mentioned the word commemorative on the note or on the folder that comes with the note. This note is issued highlighting the importance of protecting its eastern common border sharing with countries that are not a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation).

 

Poland, together with nine other European nations joined the European Union on the first of May in 2004. Since becoming a member of the EU, it has not decided when the country will officially adopt the Euro currency. At the moment there is no fixed date or any known intention to replace the current Zloty currency with the Euro. Knowing that when this happens, it will have to give up its rights to release its own Zloty banknotes, just like this new issue.

Obviously this note is all about the eastern front aiming at those non NATO members sharing a common boundary with Poland. Poland became a full member of NATO on 12.03.1999, and the countries that are sharing a common border with them, which is a non NATO member, are Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Ukraine has recently expressed their intention to join the EU, and NATO. As for NATO's policy when it comes to defending its members, it is 'All For One, and One For All'; and it is very unlikely that they will have to worry about other NATO's neighbouring members, such as Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, and Lithuania. Most conflicts are usually land disputes related, and despite there is unlikely any issues with the western or southern fronts, all you need is just one crazy loose cannon leader, and then all hell breaks loose, just like those past great, and stupid wars that happened not too long ago. Many of these were merely disputes among distant relatives.

 

Like most of the previous issues, this note is also printed with a face value of 20 zlotych, and sold as a numismatic product in a simple folder at a price of 130 zlotych per set. A total of 80,000 has been issued, and given that this is sold above face value, it is very unlikely anyone would rush out and spend it at face value.

 

As a commemorative note, the design on both sides are completely new, and this note is printed on cotton based paper material.

 

Twenty Zloty

A Polish Border Officer and a Polish Army looking over the eastern border

Front - On the left-hand side, it depicts a Polish Border Guard Officer observing with a binocular presumably looking over the eastern front and a soldier of the Polish Army standing next to him. To the right is a map of Poland's eastern front, bordering part of Russia in the north, Lithuania, Belarus in the east and Ukraine in the south-east.   

Signatures

President - Adam Glapinski (tenure 21.06.2016 - 22.06.2022)

Chief Treasurer - Barbara Jaroszek

Imprinter - Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW S.A.)

Designer: Agnieszka Próchniak

Quantity - 80,000 sets in a simple folder at 130 zlotych each

Watermark - A round shape object with NBP in the center (see folder front cover)

Dimensions - 152mm x 78mm

 

Back - On the back is a S-70i Black Hawk (police helicopter) flying over the clouded sky, over the areas located near the eastern border of Poland, presumably patrolling and safe guarding its border. I have been told that this Black Hawk helicopter is now made in Poland. On the top of the note is an image of a F-16 aircraft (registration device printed on both front and back of the note), and to the right, an outline map of Poland's eastern front, just like the one on the front. The large State emblem of Poland, Eagle, is also printed on the note. 

 

This note is predominately printed in brown colour both front and back.

 

A S-70i Black Hawk (police helicopter) flying, an outline map of Poland's eastern front, State emblem of Poland Eagle

 

The two notes I have in my collection

Folder front cover

Back folder cover with info both in Polish and English

Information sheet with security features detailed inside (not shown)

Below are the full list of all commemorative notes issued since 2006;-

2006 - 50zl Karol Wojtyla aka Pope John Paul ll : qty 2.0M (i/p 90zl)

2008 - 10zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 80,000 (i/p 15zl)

2009 - 20zl Poet Julius Slowacki : qty 80,000 (i/p 80zl)

2009 - 20zl Frederic Francois Chopin : qty 120,000 (i/p 50zl)

2011 - 20zl Marie Sklodowska Curie : qty 60,000 (i/p 60zl)

2014 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski [polymer] : qty 60,000 (i/p 50zl)

2015 - 20zl Jan Dlugosz : qty 30,000 (i/p 72zl)

2016 - 20zl Doubravka of Bohemia & King Miezko : qty 35,000 (i/p 75zl)

2017 - 20zl Our Lady of Czestochowa : qty 55,000 (i/p 60zl)

2018 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 50,000 (i/p 75zl)

2019 - 19zl Polska Wytwornia Papierow Wartosciowych [hybrid] : qty 55,000 (i/p 80zl)

2020 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 60,000 (i/p 80zl)

2021 - 20zl Lech Kaczynski : qty 80,000 (i/p 100zl)

2022 - 20zl Protection of the Eastern Front : qty 80,000 (i/p 50zl)

2023 - 20zl Nicolaus Copernicus [polymer]: qty 100,000 (i/p 160zl)

2024 - 20zl Warsaw Uprising 1944-2024: qty 80,000 (i/p 140zl)