Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke after handing the 1813 dollar over to Marta Cienkowska, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage, in Canberra. Photo: Polish Embassy/Twitter (X)
A stolen 1813 Holey Dollar worth $525,000 has been returned to the Polish government with the help of the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The coin was stolen from a museum in Torun, Poland, between 2011 and 2018 and tracked globally by Polish authorities, the AFP says.
They learnt that it was exported to Germany and went up for sale in two auctions. From there, the coin made its way to Melbourne where it was sold at auction to an Australian collector in Perth for $525,000.
A formal request for the coin to be returned to Poland had been made in June 2023 and on August 26, 2024, the AFP says it seized the coin in Perth.
The coin was surrendered willingly and no Australia-based individuals are expected to face charges; all parties were unaware at the time the coin was stolen, the AFP says.
AFP Commander Renee Colley says the handover of the coin is a landmark for relations between Australian police and the Polish government.
“The AFP is delighted to have played a role in returning this important artifact to the Polish Government,” she says.
She described the handover as a “fantastic result”.
CEREMONY
The coin was formally returned to the Polish government by Arts Minister Tony Burke at the Polish Embassy in Canberra on Friday, February 14.
Marcin Kawałowski, the charge d’affaires of the embassy, praised the AFP’s efforts.
“As a diplomat, I obviously recognise the importance of official agreements and political declarations but it gives me great satisfaction when I can witness the practical dimension of successful bilateral co-operation,” he said.
“We would like to appreciate the efforts of the Australian Federal Police in retrieving the lost Holey Dollar, which … resulted in the organisation of this particular ceremony.”
The coin was struck from a Spanish Silver Dollar minted at the Mexico Mint in 1777 during the reign of King Charles III of Spain.
Holey dollars were also created to address a shortage of coins when New South Wales was a British colony.
