“Treasures of the Medal-Making Art – Stanisław Małachowski”

The first coin of the series depicts the medal commemorating Stanisław Małachowski, created by Jan Filip Holzhaeusser, the court medallist to King Stanisław August.

The coin with a face value of 50 złoty is made of 999 purity silver, has a diameter of 45.00 millimetres and weighs 62.20 grams. It has been minted in up to 5,000 pieces.

The coins are sold at all the NBP regional branches and in the NBP online shop Kolekcjoner at the price of PLN 1,100.

The reverse of the coin features the bust in left profile copied from the medal, with the Great Ribbon with the Order of the White Eagle around the neck, the Order of St. Stanislaus on the chest, along the rim the inscription (in translation): “To Stanisław Małachowski, Referendary of the Crown, Speaker of the Sejm and Marshal of the Confederation”.

On the obverse of the coin we read the text from the reverse of the medal (in translation): “That in the exercise of his office as Speaker of the Sejm, by virtue, prudence and good example, he averted many evils from the Commonwealth and did much good to the homeland, this commemoration is offered to the noble citizen by grateful Stanisław August the King in the year 1790”.

Stanisław Małachowski (1736-1809) was one of the most eminent figures in 18th-century Polish history. From the time of the election of King Stanisław August in 1764, he stood at the monarch’s side, holding high offices, including that of deputy to the Sejm, marshal of the Crown Tribunal, and then member of the Permanent Council. The crowning achievement of his career was his election as speaker of the Four-Year Sejm in 1788. At that Sejm, Małachowski, together with the King, Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kołłątaj, co-wrote the new law for cities and the Constitution of 3 May. Then, on the King’s name-day – 8 May 1790 – Stanisław August bestowed upon him a gold medal. The medal inscription enumerated virtues and merits of Małachowski, who had already received two of Poland’s highest distinctions – the Order of Saint Stanislaus (in 1770) and the Order of the White Eagle (in 1782); they appear on the medal portrait. In later years, Stanisław Małachowski condemned the Targowica confederation, and in the Duchy of Warsaw he was given the honorary position of president of the Senate.

The reign of Stanisław August was a time when the country was modernised in many areas. This also applied to the royal court, its artistic setting and patronage. Following the example of the French monarchs, the King wished to immortalise his reign in the form of a series of commemorative medals, to create a medallic series of Polish kings and to award medals to prominent figures contemporary to him. As early as 1765, a monetary reform was carried out and a modern mint was built in Warsaw. Its chief medallist was a Saxon, Jan Filip Holzhaeusser (1741– 1792), the author of most of the stamps of the coins and medals created during this reign, and considered one of the outstanding medallists of the epoch. The subjects were often indicated to the artist by the king himself, suggesting versions of the inscriptions on the medals, which were usually struck in three metals: gold (for the awardee and for the royal collection), silver and, also later in the 19th century, bronze.

More information can be found in the brochure.

NBP collector coins and banknotes are sold in commercial packaging with an attached certificate.

The next issue is scheduled on 6 February 2025. On that date Narodowy Bank Polski will be putting into circulation a silver collector coin “100th Anniversary of the Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland”, with a face value of 20 złoty.

Contact:

Contact for collectors: e-mail kolekcjoner@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 17 05

Contact for the media: e-mail press@nbp.pl, tel. +48 22 185 2012

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About NBP

Narodowy Bank Polski holds the exclusive right to issue banknotes and coins in Poland. All currency issued by NBP, including collector banknotes and coins, is legal tender in Poland. Issuing collector items is an occasion to commemorate historic figures and anniversaries as well as to develop the interest of the public in Polish culture, science and tradition.

High-resolution images of the coins: https://nbp.pl/en/coins-and-banknotes/collector-coins/catalogue/