1126) Krakow's National Museum, Poland: 140th Anniversary: A Silver Proof 20 Zlotych Coin issued by the National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski): Coin issue date: 2019:

1126) Krakow's National Museum, Poland: 140th Anniversary: A Silver Proof 20 Zlotych Coin issued by the National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski): Coin issue date: 2019:

The National Bank of Poland has issued a Silver Proof commemorative coin of 20 Zlotych denomination which celebrates the 140th Anniversary of Krakow's National Museum, which was established in 1879 under a resolution passed by the Krakow City council. It is presently the oldest and the largest Polish Museum.

The Reverse of the 20 Zlotych Silver Proof Coin showing the "Lady and the Ermine" painting by Leonardo da Vinci, placed against a background image of the South Façade of the main building of the Museum  

In 1934, the construction of the Museum's contemporary new main building located at 3 Maja Street and its present location started, but was interrupted by the invasion of Warsaw by the Third Reich, triggering the start of World War II.

During the War, many of the museum's priceless collections were looted by the German  invaders, which was a common practice by the Third Reich.

 In 1945, after the War, the Polish government retrieved many of the works stolen by the Germans. Despite the government's best efforts, more than  1,000 artefacts are still missing/could not be accounted for.

It was only in  1992, when the Museum's primary building was fully completed and only after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and Poland's communist government that the work of assembling together the large collections of the Museum began in right earnest.

The collections, consisting of several hundred thousand items in all, are kept in the larger rooms in the main building, where the administrative offices are also located, with the remaining collection being divided between the 9 divisions around the city. 

The main building features the newly renovated Upper Gallery of the 20th Century Polish Art, one of the most extensive galleries of paintings and sculptures from the late 19th Century in Poland, with the most celebrated artwork by some of the country's most well-known artists.

There is an extensive collection of works by Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869-1907), a Polish playwright, painter, poet and interior and furniture designer. There is also a permanent display of works by artists of the inter-war and post-war periods that include Polish cubists, expressionists, colourists, the avant-garde of the1930s and representatives of New Directions Movement prevalent in the1960s.

The Commemorative Coin:

The Obverse of the Silver 20 Zlotych Proof Coin features a depiction of the South façade of the Museum's Main Building, as well as, the museum's distinctive and stylised logo and stylised letters "MNK".

At the top , the image of the Eagle is engraved, which is the State emblem of the Republic of Poland. Below the Eagle and on the right is the Mint Mark "m/w" of the Polish Mint.

The monumental South facade, where the main entrance is located, is decorated with a colonnade and quarters placed above it. This location was designed for planned, but as yet, of unrealised reliefs.

Along the lower periphery is inscribed "RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA" (meaning "Republic of Poland"), the year of issue "2019"and the denomination of the Coin "20 Zl.".

The Reverse of the Silver 20 Zlotych Proof Coin depicts an image of the "Lady with an Ermine" painting, placed in a decorative frame, made by Leonardo da Vinci, which is the most valuable painting in the Polish collections.

On the right, from bottom upwards and perpendicularly is engraved the inscription  - "140 LECIE.  MUZEUM NARODOWEGO. W KRAKOWIE" meaning "140th Anniversary. of the National Museum. in Krakow").

The specifications of this coin are:

Theme: 140th Anniversary of the National Museum in Krakow; Denomination: 20 Zlotych; Metal Composition: .925 Silver (Ag); Weight: 28.28 grams; Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm; Coin Quality: Proof; Designer: Dominika Karpinska-Kopiec; Mintage: 13,000 pieces; Mint: Mint of Poland; Year of issue: 2019.

Each Proof Coin is encapsulated and presented in a hard-board branded Custom Case and is accompanied with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).






Links:

1) Currency & Coinage of Poland: Zloty and Grosz

2) Honouring Marie Curie: A 20 Zloty Banknote issued by Norodowy Bank Polski in 2011 on the 100th Anniversary of her winning the Nbel Prize for Chemistry in 1911

3) Honouring Frederic Francois Chopin on his 200th Birth Anniversary with the issue of a 20 Zloty Banknote by Narodowy Bank Polski (National Bank of Poland) in 2010 

4) King Sigismund III Vasa 100 Gold Ducats: "History of Polish Coins" Series: minted by Mint of Poland for the Narodowy Bank Polski, issued on 12.07.2017

5) George Sand, Author: "Women of France Coin Series": Third Coin in the series issued by the Monnaie de Paris, France on 04.05.2018

6) Krakow's National Museum, Poland: 140th Anniversary: A Silver Proof 20 Zlotych Coin issued by the National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski): Coin issue date: 2019