Coin issue on the Day of Loyalty – Sopron has been the Most Loyal Town for a century

13 December 2021

To mark the centenary of the referendum held in Sopron between 14 and 16 December 1921, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank is issuing a silver commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 15,000 and a non-ferrous metal commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 3,000, titled ‘Sopron, the Most Loyal Town’. The special, square shaped commemorative coins were designed by sculptor Tamás E. Soltra.

On 14-15 and then on 16 December 1921, the residents of Sopron and Brennbergbánya, belonging to the municipality of Sopron, and of another eight neighbouring or nearby settlements (Ágfalva, Balf, Fertőboz, Fertőrákos, Harka, Kópháza, Nagycenk, Sopronbánfalva), had to decide by referendum whether they should belong to Hungary or join Austria. The plebiscite marked the final stage of a protracted conflict around the affiliation of Western Hungary, which resulted from the division of territories following the First World War. As a result of the referendum held in Sopron and the surrounding settlements, the military inter-allied commission gave back Sopron and the eight settlements around it to the Hungarian State on 1 January 1922, in accordance with the Venice Protocol. This marked the only serious territorial revision of the Treaty of Trianon which the superpowers accepted as a long-term political settlement.

The referendum in its favour earned Sopron the epithet ‘Civitas Fidelissima’, the ‘Most Loyal Town’. The Hungarian Government declared 14 December, the first day of referendum, the Day of Loyalty.

To commemorate the centenary of the critical referendum, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank is issuing a silver commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 15,000 and its non-ferrous metal version with a face value of HUF 3,000.

The upper left hand side of the obverse features a portrait, in a rectangular frame, of Mihály Thurner, the Mayor of Sopron who played an important role in the preparation and conduct of the referendum, and in winning both local and nationwide public support. The inscription ‘THURNER MIHÁLY’ runs vertically from the right of the portrait. The portrait is surrounded by the inscription ‘A LEGHŰSÉGESEBB VÁROS SOPRON’ (The Most Loyal Town Sopron), running from the lower left corner to the upper right corner. The mint mark ‘BP.’ is placed next to the lower right corner of the portrait, with the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ positioned below. The right hand side of the obverse bears a depiction of the Fire Tower, the symbol of Sopron, in a square frame, together with the denominations ‘15000’ and ‘3000’, and the inscription ‘FORINT’.

The reverse honours the memory of the Sopron plebiscite. It bears a representation of a group of voters in a square shaped frame, which was inspired by a contemporary film footage. The historical coat of arms of Sopron is positioned above the representation, on the left hand side. The inscriptions ‘CIVITAS’ and ‘FIDELISSIMA’ as well as the years ‘1921-2021’ are placed to the right of the arms, set in three lines. The year 1921 refers to the year of the referendum and the year 2021 is the mint year representing the year of issue.

A detail of the representation of a contemporary stamped voting slip is placed in the opening of a ballot box in the lower left hand corner of the reverse, with the country’s name written in Hungarian, German and Croatian – ‘Magyarország’, ‘Ungarn’, ‘Ugersko’. The master mark of sculptor and coin designer Tamás E. Soltra features on the edge of the reverse, on the lower right hand side, imposed on the representation of the ballot box.

Obverse of the ‘Sopron, the Most Loyal Town’ commemorative coins

Reverse of the ‘Sopron, the Most Loyal Town’ commemorative coins

The size of both square shaped coins is 38.61 x 38.61 mm and their edge is smooth. The silver commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 15,000 is made from .925 fine silver and it weighs 31.46 grams. The non-ferrous metal commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 3,000 is made from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%) and it weighs 38.5 grams. The mintage limit of the silver commemorative coins is 5,000 pieces in proof-like finish and that of the non-ferrous metal is 7,000 pieces in BU finish. 

In order to promote the value transferring and educational role of the commemorative coins as widely as possible, the ‘Sopron, the Most Loyal Town’ silver and non-ferrous commemorative coins will be available for purchase at their face value for three months and one year, respectively, in the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint, the producer and distributor of the coins (Budapest, distr. V, 7 Báthory street) and its web shop (https://www.penzvero.hu/), from 14 December 2021 while stocks last.