On 29 September 2010, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a cupro-nickel collector coin ‘László Bíró, Inventor of the Ballpoint Pen’ with a face value of HUF 1,000 in honour of the inventor’s birthday. By issuing the collector coin, the MNB commemorates László Bíró, the revolutionary reformer of writing instruments. The collector coin is part of a series presenting the technical innovations and inventions of Hungarian engineers and inventors.
The collector coin was designed by György Szabó. The obverse of the coin shows a stylised representation of a ballpoint pen based on a technical drawing. The year of issue: 2010 appears in the upper right corner. The mint mark: BP, the value numeral: 1000 and the legend: REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY are inscribed in three parallel lines in the lower left obverse.
The reverse bears the portrait of László Bíró. The inscriptions ‘INVENTOR OF THE BALLPOINT PEN’ and ‘BÍRÓ LÁSZLÓ JÓZSEF’, arranged in two and three parallel lines, respectively, are above and to the left of the portrait. The designer’s mark is positioned in the lower left corner of the collector coin.
The square collector coin is made of cupro-nickel (75% copper and 25% nickel) and weighs 14 grams. Its size is 28.43x28.43 mm and it has a smooth edge.
The mintage limit is 20,000 pieces, of which 10,000 are produced using the special proof technology.
The coins can be purchased at the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint in the Magyar Nemzeti Bank’s Visitor Centre (Szabadság tér 8-9, Budapest) from 29 September 2010.
