Collector coin to honour the 300th anniversary of the Curia of Hungary

11 December 2023

To mark the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the Curia as a permanently functioning high court with fixed powers, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) is issuing a 15,000-forint silver and a 3,000-forint non-ferrous metal collector coins. The commemorative coins, named ‘Kúria’, were designed by sculptor Gábor Veres.

Three hundred years ago in 1723, King Charles III. of Hungary (1711-1740) sanctioned the acts of the Parliament in Pozsony that ordered the establishment of a permanently functioning high court with fixed powers. Established in Pest under the court organisation reform of the same year, the Royal Hungarian Curia, including the Table of Seven and the Royal Table, constituted the institution’s operational framework. Although the history of the Hungarian judiciary dates back to the 11th century, this time is generally regarded as the date when the Curia was established.

Pursuant to Article 25 of the Constitution, the Curia is Hungary’s supreme court. As the highest judicial forum, the Curia is responsible for ensuring a uniform administration of justice.

On 11 December 2023, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) is issuing a 15,000-forint silver and a 3,000-forint non-ferrous metal collector coin. The focus of the collector coins, named ‘Kúria’, is the anniversary of the independent high court. They feature the design elements that serve as a reference point for the judicial organisation system, as well as Alajos Stróbl’s Lady Justice (Justitita) statue, created in 1882, symbolising the operating principle of the Curia.

The obverse features a slightly asymmetrical representation of the ‘Curia 300’ logo as the central motif, which is adapted to the coin, with the motifs of the complementary thematic elements rotated to the left in the background. Appearing in rows aligned with the background motifs are the compulsory elements of collector coins: on the left, the denominations ‘15000’ and ‘3000’ along with the lettering ‘FORINT’, the inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ (Hungary) referring to the issuer, on the right, the mint mark ‘BP.’ indicating the place of issuance and the mint year ‘2023’.

The reverse shows the partial representation of Alajos Stróbl’s statue of Justitia as the central motif, thereby emphasising the importance of the scales of justice, held in her left hand, leaning on the Code of Law. The sword in the statue’s right hand symbolises the power of the law, as enforced by the Government. The statue depicts the goddess of justice without a blindfold, thereby emphasising the importance of law-based justice. To the left of the depiction of the statue, the legend ‘1723 ÓTA A JOGEGYSÉG ŐRE’ (Guardian of the rule of law since 1723) and to its right the lettering ‘300 ÉVES KÚRIA’ (300-years-old Curia) are placed, referring to the high court’s main obligation and its anniversary. On the rim of the reverse is a decorative motif representing a braided cord, referring to the Curia’s unique feature that its decisions serve as guidelines for the courts. The decorative motif is interrupted in the lower quarter of the obverse by the statue of Justitia. The designer’s mark of the sculptor Gábor Veres, designer of the collector coin, is concealed within the statue.

Both collector coins are 38.61 mm in diameter with a reeded edge. The silver coin with a face value of 15,000 forints is struck in .925 fine silver and weighs 31.46 grams. The non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of 3000 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 5,000 pieces of the non-ferrous version in BU finish.

In order to promote the role of these collector coins to transfer value and raise awareness as widely as possible, the ‘Kúria’ silver coin 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 12 December 2023.