Exhibits from the collections of the NBP Money Centre have returned after conservation

In August 2021, the first of three stages in the conservation of paper-based archives from the collections of the NBP Money Centre was completed. The Archive of the Grabski Family, which was bought in 2012 from the heirs of Władysław Grabski, consists, among others, of printed ephemera (invitations and visiting cards), newspaper clippings, typescripts and manuscripts, publications in the form of brochures, photographs and drawings.

The aim of the conservation was above all to protect the objects against rapidly progressing degradation caused by physical and chemical processes. The substrate of the objects was highly acidic and required deacidification treatments in order to slow down the degradation and destructive processes in the cellulose, manifested by fragility, brittleness and changes in colour of the paper.

After examining the pH of the objects whose media were resistant to water, the substances acidifying the paper were removed by water baths, and next an alkaline reserve was introduced by baths in alkaline solutions. The next important process was to strengthen the structure of the paper by introducing cellulose-based glues. With the paper protected in this way, it was then subjected to any necessary mechanical repairs, such as filling in holes and paper losses, mending tears with Japanese tissue, and straightening out creases. During the restoration work it is possible to discover interesting filigrees created in the paper production process.

The remaining everyday items of a personal nature originating from this inheritance, such as the glasses and watch of Prime Minister Władysław Grabski, can be seen in the Central Bank room in the permanent exhibition of the Sławomir S. Skrzypek NBP Money Centre.