Budapest, 2 September 2016 – On 5 September 2016, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank will issue a silver collector coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 and its nonferrous metal version with a face value of HUF 2,000 to celebrate the ‘Miklós Zrínyi – Szigetvár 1566’ anniversary year. The coins will be issued as part of the Hungarian Castles series launched in 2004, and will follow the coins depicting the castles of Visegrád, Diósgyőr, Munkács, Gyula, Siklós and Kőszeg. The collector coins have been produced in memory of Miklós Zrínyi, the commander of the Castle, and his heroic soldiers, on the 450th anniversary of their sally from the besieged Castle. A special feature of the coins is that, in addition to containing security features in micro letters, the coin design is enriched by micro lettering as an embellishment using a special surface structure for the first time.
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The collector coins are legal tender. Both coins have the same graphic design, with the value numeral being the only difference on the two denominations. The main motif on the obverse is the figure of Miklós Zrínyi wearing armour and holding a mace and a sabre in his hands. On the right of the figure, the obverse is inscribed with ‘ZRÍNYI MIKLÓS’ and ‘SZIGETVÁR VÉDŐJE’ (defender of Szigetvár). The compulsory design elements are also placed here: the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’, the value numerals ‘10000 forint’ and ‘2000 forint’ the mint mark ‘BP.’ produced with special micro lettering as well as the mint year ‘2016’. The reverse of the coin bears a representation of the south wall of the Castle of Szigetvár, with a detail from The Siege of Sziget by Miklós Zrínyi, the Captain’s great grandson, in micro lettering, in which Zrínyi exhorts his men to sally from the fortress: „TODAY, SOLDIERS, WE MUST LOSE OUR LIVES, AND TODAY ALL OUR TRIALS SEAL. WE HAVE LIVED NOBLY, LET US DIE NOBLY, GIVE THE ENTIRE WORLD AND EXAMPLE BY IT, TODAY WE BRING DIGNITY UPON OUR NAMES, THIS DAY GILDS ALL PAST ACTIONS. PAGAN CURS DO NOT CARRY US ON LEASH, THE EMPEROR DOES NOT PARADE US, BOUND IN HIS VICTORY PROCESSION; LET THE TURKS SUFFER EVEN IN OUR LAST HOUR, LET THEM SEE, THAT GOD IS WITH THE CHRISTIANS. BECAUSE THE FIRE WILL NOT LET US STAY HERE, AS SOON AS GOD ALLOWS US TO SEE THE TWILIGHT, LET US LEAVE THE FORTRESS, AND SHOW THERE: THAT WHICH WE WERE IN LIFE, WE STILL ARE NOW.” THUS SPOKE GREAT ZRÍNYI, AND ALL THE KNIGHTS JOYFULLY HIS SPEECH RECEIVED. MARS FLIES INTO ALL, AND THEIR NOBLE EYES FLASH WITH COURAGE, LIKE GEMSTONES. DEAFENING NOISE ARISES FROM THE SOLDIERS, LIKE WHEN A HARD BREEZE PUMMELS A FOREST. EACH CAN ONLY HARDLY AWAIT THE TIME, WHEN HE MAY SURRENDER HIS SOUL TO GOD. (Miklós Zrínyi, The Siege of Sziget, Translated by László Kőrössy, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D. C., 2011) The appearance of the citation as a surface structure is unique in the history of Hungarian coinage. The collector coin was designed by Borbála Szanyi. Her master mark is shown on the reverse, embedded in the representation of the Castle. The silver coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 is struck in .925 fine silver and weighs 31.46 grams. The non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of HUF 2,000 is produced from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%) and weighs 30.8 grams. Both coins have a diameter of 38.61 mm. Their edge is reeded.
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5,000 pieces can be made of the silver collector coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 in proof finish and 5,000 pieces of the non-ferrous version in BU finish.
The collector coins are distributed by the Hungarian Mint Ltd. and can be purchased from 5 September 2016 at the company’s coin shop (17 Hold u., distr. V, Budapest) and in the webshop on the company’s website (http://penzvero.hu/).
Magyar Nemzeti Bank