Description and research notes
Bank Polski 100 Zlotych note dated 28 February 1919, bearing series S.B. and serial number 5482263. It belongs to the inaugural zloty issue prepared for the restored Polish state and later introduced as part of the monetary reconstruction led by Wladyslaw Grabski.
The notes were printed in London by Waterlow & Sons Limited and held in reserve while the Polish marka remained the circulating currency. This 1919-dated issue entered circulation on 28 April 1924, when the new zloty was introduced and Bank Polski began operations as the central issuing institution. The delayed release connects the note directly with both the restoration of Polish independence and the stabilization of the national currency after the marka hyperinflation.
The obverse features an engraved portrait of Tadeusz Kosciuszko at left, depicted with flowing hair within an ornamental oval frame. The central composition carries the Bank Polski title, the denomination STO ZLOTYCH, the issuing city Warszawa, and the printed date 28 February 1919. Below appear the signatures of Bank Polski directors Stanislaw Karpinski and Zygmunt Chamiec and Chief Treasurer Marian Karpus.
The design combines blue-grey engraving with a warm brown underprint. Acanthus ornament, intricate guilloche work, corner denomination panels, and a distinctive repeating border surround the principal elements. An unprinted oval field at right contains the profile watermark of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, joining the patriotic subject of the engraved portrait with the note's principal paper-security feature.
The reverse is dominated by a crowned Polish White Eagle placed within a large central ornamental frame. The national emblem expresses the re-established sovereignty of the Polish Republic, while the surrounding denomination devices and detailed security engraving reinforce the note's function as one of the principal high-value denominations of the new currency. The reverse also carries the statutory warning that counterfeiting the notes or knowingly circulating forged examples was punishable by severe imprisonment.
Measuring 172 by 103 millimetres, the 100 Zlotych was considerably larger than the lower denominations of the issue. Its elaborate engraving, multicolour underprinting, portrait watermark, and monumental national imagery reflect the importance assigned to the denomination and the technical capabilities of Waterlow & Sons Limited.
Series S.B. was one of three regular issued series used for the denomination. All surviving issued notes carry seven-digit serial numbers printed on both the left and right sides of the obverse. This example, serial 5482263, preserves an individually identifiable note from the inaugural Bank Polski issue released during the 1924 Grabski monetary reform.