A "holey" dollar worth 319,000 euros, stolen from a museum in Poland, was returned after more than 10 years (3 photos + 1 video)

The "holey dollar" disappeared from the museum in Toruń along with 400 other numismatic exhibits. The only thing that was established at the time was that the coin was in Germany at 2 auctions, and then appeared in Australia.





The coin was made in 1813 from a Spanish silver dollar of 1777, which was minted in Mexico during the reign of King Charles III.

In 1914, Polish collector Walery Amrogovich purchased this specimen at an auction in Amsterdam to expand his collection of over 2,000 coins. Shortly before his death in 1931, he donated the coin to the Scientific Society in Toruń, from where it soon went to the Muzeum Okręgowe museum.



The "holey dollar" disappeared from the museum in Toruń along with 400 other numismatic exhibits that were stolen from the institution between 2011 and 2018.

Law enforcement officers from various countries joined the search for the coin. The only thing that was established then was that the "holey dollar" was in Germany at 2 auctions, and then appeared in Australia.

Here the coin was put up for auction in Melbourne, and it was purchased by a collector in Perth for 319,000 euros. The Australian Federal Police, in cooperation with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts of Australia, conducted an investigation, identifying the last owner of the coin.



The police seized the coin from the owner, and on February 14, 2025, an official transfer ceremony took place at the Polish Embassy in Canberra.