Budapest, 12 January 2012 - The Magyar Nemzeti Bank has issued the complete series of forint circulation coins with the inscription ‘Magyarország’ (Hungary), consistent with the Fundamental Law of Hungary. The Bank has also issued a 3000 forint silver collector coin to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Tragedy of Man by Imre Madách. From 2012, the name of the issuing country on the collector coins will also be changed to Hungary.
An entry by Madách himself on his work-sheet tells the exact time frame in which The Tragedy of Man was written: ‘I began (work on the Tragedy) on 17 February 1859 and finished on 26 March 1860’. However, the play was issued in print form only on 12 January 1862, when the poet János Arany sent a copy of the book issued by the Kisfaludy Society to Károly Szász for a review to be written for the Literary Observer. This date is borne out by the fact that on 14 January no less than three newspapers reported on the publication of the play. 1,500 copies were published in the first edition, exclusively for the Kisfaludy Society. Madách signed the contract for the second edition of the Tragedy with academic printer Gusztáv Emich on 30 October 1862.
The collector coin was designed by Enikő Szöllőssy. The upper left of the obverse of the coin bears the portrait of Imre Madách. The mint year ‘2012’ and the mint mark ‘BP.’ are positioned to the left and the right of the portrait respectively. The value numeral ‘3000‘ and the inscription ‘FORINT’ appear in two horizontal lines below the portrait of Imre Madách. The legend ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ is inscribed on the upper right along the rim of the coin.
The centre of the reverse design of the coin bears the representation of a scene from The Tragedy of Man: Adam and Eve stand on the globe, with the shadow-like, spread-winged figure of Lucifer towering over them. The inscriptions ‘AZ EMBER‘ and ‘TRAGÉDIÁJA’ (The Tragedy of Man) are positioned in curved lines below each other on the globe. The left rim of the collector coin is inscribed with ‘MADÁCH IMRE’. The right rim features the initials of designer Enikő Szöllőssy.
The collector coin is struck in .925 fine silver. It weighs 20 grams and it is 34 mm in diameter and has a milled edge. The mintage limit is 6,000, of which 4,000 pieces can be produced in proof finish.
Under the new Fundamental Law adopted by Parliament on 18 April 2011, the country’s official name is Hungary, replacing its previous name of Republic of Hungary. On 1 January 2012, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued coins with denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 forints, inscribed with ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’. In 2012, the complete series of all denominations bearing the new inscription ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ will only be available as a circulation series.
Not every denomination of the new coins will be put into circulation, as large series of the new coins of the different denominations will be produced as money circulation needs arise and in compliance with inventory requirements. Consequently, the complete series of denominations will be put into circulation gradually, over a period of several years.
This series of first-day mints includes coins struck to Brilliant Uncirculated quality. Further coins produced in Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof finish will be issued later during the year.
The collector coins and the circulation series collector coins can be purchased at the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint in the Magyar Nemzeti Bank’s Visitor Centre (8–9 Szabadság tér, Budapest) and on the Mint’s website (www.penzvero.hu), where a number of collector coins produced from gold, silver and non-ferrous metals issued earlier are also on sale.
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