Commemorative coin sets missing after Smolensk crash15.10.2010 Only 114 of a total of 160 gold and silver coins which the President of the National Bank of Poland Slawomir Skrzypek took to Katyn have been recovered after the Smolensk crash.
The National Bank of Poland (NBP) issued the coins to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. There were 80 sets of coins each containing 10-zloty silver coin and 2-zloty coins made of Nordic gold.
Head of the Bank, Slawomir Skrzypek brought the coins on board of Tu-154 in two black bags, and was to hand them to Polish war veterans, president Lech Kaczynski and the First Lady Maria Kaczynska, the last Polish president-in-exile Ryszard Kaczorowski and Poland’s ambassador to Russia Jerzy Bahr on 10 April in Smolensk.
As many as 58 silver and 56 gold coins were found at the crash site. The remaining 46 coins have disappeared. The Military Prosecutor’s Office which is investigating the presidential plane crash was not aware that the coins went missing, it has been reported. (mg/jb)
Source:
Polskie RadioPhoto caption: One of the Katyn commemorative coin sets. Photo: nbpnews.pl
