On Friday, 28 March 2025, an official handover of a unique coin bearing the image of the first Polish fighter aircraft — the PZL P.1 — took place at our Museum. It was presented to Tomasz Kosecki, Director of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, by Szymon Majewski and historian Marcin Brzeziński — representatives of the National Treasury.
The coin, with a denomination of 1 New Zealand dollar, is made entirely of silver, has a diameter of 38.61 mm and was struck on the anniversary of the first flight of the PZL P.1, which took place in August 1929. At the Polish Aviation Museum, you can see numerous mementoes of Bolesław Orliński, who was the first to fly the PZL P.1.
The aircraft is depicted on the reverse of the coin, with fragments of the fighter’s construction plans visible in the background. Additionally, it bears the inscription: PZL P.1. The reverse was designed by Paweł Pietras.
The donor of this unique coin is the company Skarbnica Narodowa (National Treasury), part of the international Samlerhuset Group — a distributor of coins and medals, owner of the largest numismatic fair in Europe (World Money Fair) and the Norwegian Mint, which strikes the Nobel Peace Prize medal.
In August 1929, the first prototype of the PZL P.1 fighter was test-flown, and its improved version took to the air in March 1930. This innovative aircraft was presented at an international aviation competition in Bucharest. Its distinctive feature was the characteristic wing that narrowed near the fuselage, which significantly improved pilot visibility — a solution that became a breakthrough in fighter design.
Despite its innovativeness, the PZL P.1 did not enter serial production, but its concept became the foundation for subsequent models: PZL P.6, PZL P.7, PZL P.8 and PZL P.11. It was these aircraft — introduced into production after the death of their creator, Zygmunt Puławski — that formed the backbone of Polish fighter aviation until the outbreak of World War II. In 1932–1933, 150 examples of the PZL P.7 were produced, and between 1934 and 1936 — 200 PZL P.11a and P.11c aircraft. In total, as many as 640 aircraft based on Puławski’s designs were built.
At the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, you can admire the only pre-war Polish fighter to have survived to our times. It is also the only example of this model in the world — the PZL P.11c fighter. It flew with the 121st Squadron of the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków. Today, this aircraft is a symbol, the most precious exhibit of the Polish Aviation Museum, but this is not about its material value — the machine is the only surviving Polish fighter aircraft from September 1939, a symbol of Poland’s solitary struggle against the German Luftwaffe.
More about the Museum’s PZL P.11c can be read on the EXHIBIT PAGE.
