New gold and silver collector coins to commemorate the Olympic Games

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued its first forint collector coin in honour of the Olympic Movement back in 1980, on the occasion of the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Silver collector coins commemorating the Summer Olympics have been issued since 1984. In 2012, the MNB is issuing a forint collector coin to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics, in addition to traditional silver coins. The gold coin participates in the ‘Smallest Gold Coin in the World’ international collector programme. The coin series has a history spanning over a decade. Small pure gold coins with various patterns have been issued in many countries of the world. These coins bear small value individually and have different themes; however, based on their common physical properties (e.g. weight, fineness and size), they can be collected as a series. The MNB released a collector coin fitting into this series first in 2010, to mark the 200^th anniversary of the birth of the composer Ferenc Erkel. This was followed by the mini gold coin issued in honour of Adam Clark in 2011.

The collector coins issued to commemorate the London 2012 Olympics feature flat water kayak-canoe, one of the most successful sports for Hungary in recent history. The obverse sides of the gold and silver coins depict kayak paddles. The standard design elements: the issuing country (Hungary), the value numerals (HUF 5000 and HUF 3000 on the gold and silver coins respectively), the mintmark (BP.) and the mint year (2012) also feature on the obverse.

The reverse of the gold collector coin depicts a male canoeist and the words XXX. SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES. The initials of designer Andrea Horváth also feature on the reverse. The reverse of the silver collector coin depicts a female kayaker and the words XXX. SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES LONDON. The reverse also bears the initials of designer Balázs Bitó.

The gold collector coin is struck in .999 fine gold. It weighs 0.5 gram and it is 11 mm in diameter and has a smooth edge. The silver collector coin is struck in .986 fine silver. It weighs 20 grams and it is 34 mm in diameter and has a reeded edge.

The mintage limit of the gold collector coins is 10,000 pieces in proof finish. The mintage limit of the silver collector coins is 8,000, of which 5,000 can be produced in proof finish.

The Olympic collector coins are sold by the Hungarian Mint. They are available to buy at the Palace of Arts in Budapest and, from 22 June 2012, at the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint in the Magyar Nemzeti Bank’s Visitor Centre (8–9 Szabadság tér, Budapest) as well as 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.

MAGYAR NEMZETI BANK

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