Coins of Communist Poland

[JAZ Numismatics]

Much of my family emigrated to the US after WWII and we made a number of trips to Poland in the 70's. At the time, Poland was considered the paradise of Eastern Bloc countries. It was a favored vacation spot of upper-crust Soviet apparatchiks, for instance, because of its "relaxed totalitarianism" and a robust black market. The black market was fueled by American Poles, like my grandmother, who routinely sent large care packages to her relatives. From the 60's to the 90's, an incredible amount of goods flowed from countless millions of Poles in the US to their homeland. Surprisingly, very little ever got confiscated - the Polish government turned a blind eye to the illegal trade. But perhaps it's not surprising - nobody but the most ideologically driven academics really wanted Communism.

So it's also not surprising that during this time, the Polish mint was issuing large, artistically meritorious coins, coins that were a stark contrast to the utilitarian drek struck by their iron curtain neighbors. (The sort of coins you would expect from a system that demonizes private commerce.) These Polish zlotych are about the size of US half dollars, and they commemorate a variety of people, places, and events: authors, poets, the first Polish cosmonaut, FAO, International Women's Day, etc. I won't go through the whole list. Also, I don't have the patience to photograph them all individually, so I offer them en masse...

 

An entire series commemorated ancient Polish kings (and the famous queen Jadwiga). Talk about thumbing your nose at Soviet hegemony! (How did they get away with that?)

 

The reverses of the coins featured variations on the Polish coat of arms eagle. The coins also demonstrate the inevitable course of inflation during the period, from 10 zlotych in the 60's, to 10,000 zl. by the time the Solidarnosc movement finally dismantled the Communist regime.

 

These coins have a certain Communist chic to them, if you will. They express an optimism and love of life that the Poles adhered to, even in their trials. Do you have any coins of period? Let's see them...

Edited November 8, 2024 by JAZ Numismatics

[ChrisB]

Thanks for sharing. 

This is a bit later than the time period you are showing. Closest I have. 

 

[JAZ Numismatics]

22 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

Thanks for sharing. 

This is a bit later than the time period you are showing. Closest I have. 

 

Actually, this is during that time period. It's one of hundreds of lovely collector coins struck by the Warsaw mint since the 60's.  The Poles love their commemoratives.

[seth77]

Polish notes from this period were printed in a surprisingly pleasant color palette and almost monopoly-sized.