Collector coin to commemorate the 250th birth anniversary of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz

16 November 2023

On 17 November 2023, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) is issuing a silver collector coin with a face value of 15,000 forints and its non-ferrous version of 3,000 forints, named ‘Mihály Csokonai Vitéz’, to mark the 250th birth anniversary of one of the most significant poets of the Hungarian Enlightenment. In designing these collector coins the Petőfi Literary Museum's thematic expertise was applied by sculptor Borbála Szanyi.

Often called a scholar poet (poeta doctus), Mihály Csokonai Vitéz (17 November 1773 - 28 January 1805) was a highly educated, outstanding writer, poet and translator of the Hungarian Enlightenment. In terms of content and form, he was the innovator of the language of Hungarian poetry. He could read and speak in several languages, which transformed him into an experimental author who tried his hand at all genres of poetry: from song to ode, from incidental poems to rococo love poetry, from drama to mock-heroic works and philosophical poems, he wrote in a wide range of genres.

His extraordinary talent soon became evident at the Debrecen Reformed College during his academic years, but he never received real recognition from his peers, and this had an effect on his short life.  He had no livelihood security, no literary success, his writings were never printed and sold, and he enjoyed no happiness in his private life. His writings and poems, which brought him popularity in his lifetime, were distributed in manuscript form. After his death, his poems were collected and published by József Márton in 1813, and all of his works were put into print and released by Ferenc Toldy (Schedel) in 1844.

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank is issuing a silver collector coin with a face value of 15,000 forints and its non-ferrous metal version of 3,000 forints on the 250th birth anniversary of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz on the very day the poet was born, i.e. on 17 November 2023.

Characteristic of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz’s poetry, common chicories are featured as the central motif on the obverse, which can also be interpreted as a literary attribute. On the edge of the obverse, on a ring slightly raised from the base plane, the inscription ’ÉN, ANGYAL MEG ÁLLAT, VAGY CSAK POR MEG PÁRA’ (I, angel and animal, or merely dust and vapour) from ‘Halotti versek’ (Death Poems) by Mihály Csokonai Vitéz is found. The compulsory design elements of collector coins are found on the right side of the obverse: the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ (Hungary), the denominations ‘15000’ or ‘3000’ with the lettering ‘FORINT’ in three consecutive lines, and the mint mark ‘BP.’ along with the minting year ‘2023’ at the bottom of the coin.

The reverse features a half-length portrait of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz based on a copper engraving by Friedrich John from 1816. This image was complemented as a result of an additional idea: the design artist added a book and a pen representing the attributes of poetry. The motifs on both the obverse and the reverse extend beyond the edge, with the reverse featuring stars in the background. This also reinforces the visual expression of the freedom of artistic creation. The poet's birth and death dates, ‘1773’ and ‘1805’, are shown to the right of the portrait, in two lines. The designer’s mark of sculptor Borbála Szanyi, who designed the collector coins, is on the left side of the portrait, at the bottom of the coin design. The inscription ‘MIHÁLY CSOKONAI VITÉZ’ is inscribed in a circular ring on the lower left-hand edge of the reverse, slightly raised from the base plane, and is surrounded by a single dot.

The obverse of the Mihály Csokonai Vitéz collector coins

The reverse of the Mihály Csokonai Vitéz collector coins

Both collector coins are 38,61 mm in diameter and their edges are reeded. The collector coin with a face value of 15,000 forints is struck in .925 silver, weighing 31.46 grams. The non-ferrous metal version of 3,000 forints is produced from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%) and weighs 30.80 grams. 5,000 pieces can be made of the silver collector coin in proof finish and also 5,000 pieces of the non-ferrous metal version in BU finish.

In order to promote the role of these collector coins to raise awareness as widely as possible, the silver coin ‘Csokonai Vitéz Mihály’ will be available for purchase for three months, while stocks last, and the non-ferrous version for one year from the date of issuance, at face value in the webshop (https://www.penzvero.hu/) and coin shop of the Hungarian Mint Ltd. (Budapest, distr. V, 7 Báthory street), the producer and the distributor of the coins, starting from 17 November 2023.