20 Złotych 2023

Portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus (polish: Mikołaj Kopernik) - the most popular (so-called Toruń) portrait;
born 19 February 1473 – died 24 May 1543, a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.
stylised images of a quadrant and a fragment of the heliocentric system.

The fragment of the image of the heliocentric system was taken from the manuscript of Nicolaus Copernicus’s treatise “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres” (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium), held in the Jagiellonian Library (Manuscript 10,000).

Images of historical coins: the obverse and reverse of the Gdańsk szóstak (six grosz), the obverse of the Elbląg szóstak
(six grosz), the obverse of the Prussian (Toruń) schilling and an image of a fragment of the heliocentric system.

The background also features the Castle of the Warmian Cathedral Chapter in Olsztyn.

Although the astronomer is known in the world mainly for the heliocentric theory, it should be remembered that this outstanding scientist also studied the laws governing economics. He wrote, among others treatise "Monetae cudendae ratio" (On the method of minting coins). so-called The law of Copernicus-Gresham says about the displacement of better money by worse money. If there are two types of money in the economy and they are officially allowed in circulation, the more valuable money (e.g. more strongly based on gold) will be accumulated, and everyone will want to pay with weaker money.

On the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, the National Bank of Poland plans to introduce into circulation a banknote and a coin with the image of the scientist as part of the "Great Polish Economists" series. Many Poles still remember the 1,000-zloty collector's note with the portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus.