Mint of Poland, Warsaw, Poland

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The Mint of Poland is a private enterprise situated in Warsaw, primarily engaged in the production of coins for Poland, as well as for international issuers and central banks. This includes circulation coins for the Dominican Republic, Armenia, and Ukraine, in addition to collector coins for Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Cyprus. It has been a joint-stock company listed on the Polish Stock Exchange since April 7, 1998. Currently, it stands as the only mint globally that is publicly traded.

The Mint of Poland boasts a history that extends over 25 years, having operated almost continuously, with brief interruptions occurring between 1796 and 1810, from 1907 to 1924, and during the Second World War.

Mint in Bielańska Street during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1764–1796)

King Stanisław II August Poniatowski's monetary reform in 1766 marked the start of the Mint of Poland. Following his election as king by the Convocation Sejm on September 7, 1764, Stanisław August Poniatowski was tasked with implementing a monetary reform and establishing a new mint for gold, silver, and copper pieces in addition to medals and orders. The monarch formed the Mint's Commission on January 10, 1765, and on July 3rd, he bought a palace on Bielańska Street to house the new mint. Officially, the mint opened on February 10, 1766. In Poland, a mint holiday (Dzień Mincerza) was created to honor the introduction of a new monetary system on the same day.

On 21 January 1766, Jan Filip Holzhaeusser, was brought from Dresden and, until 1792, he served as the court medallist and chief engraver of the Warsaw Mint.

The Mint first used the initials MV for Monetaria Varsoviensis and MW for Mennica Warszawska as its own mint mark on ducat coins in 1791.

In May 1794, during the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, the king's privilege to mint coins was revoked and the mint was taken over by the Tax Commission. The Third Partition of Poland, which split the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between Prussia, Austria, and Russia, caused the mint to close for 14 years on January 9, 1796. The mint was moved to the Prussian Treasury shortly after Prussian troops arrived in the capital.

Mint in Bielańska Street during the Duchy of Warsaw (1810–1815)

Napoleon I created the Polish state of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 using the Polish territories that the Kingdom of Prussia had given up as part of the Treaties of Tilsit. King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, one of Napoleon's friends, controlled the duchy. On June 9, 1810, the Warsaw Mint reopened for business during this time, producing copper, silver, and gold coins for the Duchy of Warsaw. Between 1810 and 1813, over 64 million pieces were produced.

In 1813, Prussian and Russian forces invaded the duchy of Warsaw after Napoleon's abortive invasion of Russia. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Duchy of Warsaw was disbanded and previously divided between the two nations. With a retroactive date of 1814, the mint continued to produce coins using the arms of the now-defunct Duchy of Warsaw until June 9, 1815.

Mint in Bielańska Street during the Russian Kingdom of Poland (1816–1868)

Starting from January 1, 1816, Warsaw began producing coins for the Kingdom of Poland under Russian governance. A new mint facility was constructed on Bielańska Street, designed by Piotr Aigner, and completed on June 16, 1817. In 1824, following a request from the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Warsaw Mint was granted a monopoly on the creation of official stamps and seals, operating under the oversight of the Bank of Poland.

During the November Uprising against Russian rule, the Warsaw Mint produced coins for the insurgents and functioned as a weapons manufacturing site for Polish rebels. Following the deposition of the tsar on January 25, 1831, the mint began issuing coins featuring national symbols.

However, on October 15, 1832, after the uprising's suppression, the Warsaw Mint came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenues and Treasury by a decree from the tsar. It then started to produce bilingual coins reflecting both Russian and Polish values, the first of which was a 15 kopeck – 1 zloty coin.

On October 3, 1841, the mint issued its inaugural Russian coin, which was followed by a 1 rouble coin the following year. Due to a tsarist decree, the Russian currency supplanted the Polish currency in the Kingdom of Poland. Subsequently, from 1842 onwards, the Warsaw Mint began a process of liquidation. In 1850, it updated its mint mark from “MW” to the Cyrillic “ВМ,” and in 1851, the Main Assay Room was established at the mint. Production ceased in 1865, and the mint was ultimately closed by tsarist authorities on January 1, 1868, having minted over 300 million pieces since 1816. The minting equipment was relocated to the facility in Saint Petersburg, and in 1907, the Bielańska Street building was demolished to make way for the square for the Russian State Bank.

The Polish State Mint in Markowska Street during the Second Polish Republic (1924–1939)

Coin production resumed in Warsaw on April 14, 1924, when a new facility for the Polish State Mint was inaugurated on Markowska Street by President Stanisław Wojciechowski and Minister of Treasury Władysław Grabski. In 1937, the Polish State Mint became one of the founding members of the Federation Internationale de la Medaille (FIDEM).

Mint in Markowska Street during the German Occupation (1940–1945)

At the onset of the Second World War, the German authorities took control of the Polish State Mint's facilities, resulting in the destruction of its workshops and the confiscation of precious metals. Additionally, the numismatic collection housed in the Numismatic Cabinet was seized by the Third Reich.

Between 1941 and 1944, zinc coins were produced in Warsaw for the occupied regions of Poland. Notably, the occupation authorities did not oversee the minting of the dies, leading to the issuance of coins during this time featuring the Polish eagle, without any swastika. As the Germans withdrew from the city, they destroyed the Mint’s buildings on September 12, 1944.

The Polish State Mint in Ceglana Street (1945–1972)

In 1945, the Polish State Mint began operating once again in a restored facility located on Markowska Street.

In 1950, the government introduced a new currency known as the Polish zloty, which was subdivided into 100 groszy, but the initial 2 billion coins were produced outside of Poland. By 1952, the Polish State Mint moved to its current location on Ceglana Street in the Wola district (now Pereca Street). The first post-war coins were minted here in 1953, consisting of 1 and 2 groszy coins, although they were dated 1949. Until 1957, these coins featured the inscription "the Republic of Poland," which was changed to "the Polish People's Republic" following the introduction of the constitutional name of the nation.

In 1965, the mint mark of "m" over "w" was reestablished on the front of the coins, positioned beneath the eagle's left foot. In 1966, the Ministry of Finance upgraded the Polish State Mint, acquiring new presses. The mint commenced the issuance of commemorative coins in 1971 and proof coins in 1972.

The Polish State Mint in Żelazna Street (1991–Present)

As per the legislation enacted on December 29, 1989, new coins began to feature the country's name, "the Republic of Poland," along with its coat of arms, represented by a crowned eagle. In 1991, construction commenced on a new building for the mint located on Żelazna Street.

Also in 1991, the mint issued its first bi-metallic coin, a commemorative piece marking the 225th anniversary of its establishment.

On April 1, 1994, the Polish State Mint transitioned into a joint-stock company named "Mennica Państwowa S.A.," owned by the State Treasury. By February 6, 1998, the company's shares became available for public trading on the Polish Stock Exchange. The name was subsequently altered to "Mennica Polska S.A." on May 18, 2005.

The new building at 56 Żelazna Street was inaugurated on September 26, 1994, by President Lech Wałęsa.

In 1995, the mint produced its first Polish gold bullion coins known as "Orzeł Bielik," which followed the standard Troy ounce measurement at the new facilities. The first multi-material coins were minted in 2001.

On February 5, 2009, during the World Money Fair held in Berlin, a collaboration was announced between the Polish Mint and the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). This partnership involved PCGS setting up a submission center at the mint's headquarters to grade the newly launched commemorative coins.

Until 2014, the Mint of Poland exclusively produced Polish circulation coins but lost the rights to manufacture the 1, 2, and 5 groszy coins to the British Mint that year. Nevertheless, it continues to be the sole manufacturer of collector coins for the National Bank of Poland.