A valuable 1813 Holey Dollar, valued at $525,000 and stolen from a Polish museum, has been returned to Poland by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) after being located with a collector in Perth. The coin was taken from the Regional Museum of Toruń between 2011 and 2018, prompting a global investigation by Polish authorities, who traced its journey from Germany to Melbourne, before it was auctioned to the Western Australian collector.
On August 26, 2022, the AFP seized the coin after identifying its owner through an auction house dealing in rare coins. Despite the theft, no Australian individuals are expected to face charges, as all transactions occurred in good faith and without knowledge of the coin’s illicit status.
The formal handover occurred on February 14, 2023, during a ceremony at the Polish Embassy, marking what is believed to be the first instance of an Australian cultural object being returned to a European nation. The Holey Dollar holds significant historical and cultural value for both Poland and Australia, having originated from a Spanish silver dollar minted in 1777 and utilized in the early Australian colony of New South Wales. Marcin Kawałowski, Poland’s chargé d’affaires, commended the AFP for their successful role in the recovery and return process, highlighting the importance of international cooperation.