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Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849) was a Hungarian poet, revolutionary, a national hero, one of the most iconic figures of Hungarian literature and culture In his short life, the internationally renowned poet wrote nearly a thousand poems, and was one of the first literary figures who managed to make a living from his writings. He was one of the leading figures of the ‘Young people of March’, a dominant figure in the 1848-1849 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence.
To mark the bicentenary of Sándor Petőfi’s birth, the Hungarian Mint is issuing its first ever 200-forint commemorative circulation coin, as well as a particularly large silver collector coin of 30,000 forints and its 7,500-forint copper-nickel version.
The obverse side of the 200 forint hasa a modern rasterized portrait of Sándor Petőfi replacing the usual Chain Bridge design. Inside the beaded border, the lettering ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ (Hungary) is shown in a legend at the top left with the minting year ‘2023’ appearing horizontally at the bottom right. Below, to the left of the portrait, is the official logo of the Sándor Petőfi- anniversary year, without the trademark.
The thematic side of the coin was designed by applied artist András Szilos. The technical parameters of the coin are identical to the 200-forint bimetal coins in circulation: the outer ring of the coin is made of an alloy of copper (75%), nickel (4%) and zinc (21%), while the inner core is made of copper (75%) and nickel (25%). The outer diameter of the coin is 28.3 mm, with a diameter of 17.9 mm at the junction of the inner and outer sections. The rim is 2 mm thick and the coin weighs 9 grams and its edge is reeded with smooth sections.
There will be 1 million pieces made of the collector version of the 200-forint circulation coin to be issued on the bicentenary |
