200 forint – Sándor Petőfi and The Revolution and War of Independence of 1848/1849

o honour the anniversary of Sándor Petőfi’s birth, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (hereinafter: MNB) issued a 200-forint commemorative circulation coin on the Day of Hungarian Poetry. At the ceremony held in the Petőfi Literary Museum, a special large silver collector coin of 30,000 forints and its 7,500-forint non-ferrous metal version were released, paying tribute to Petőfi's work. The collector coins also mark the 175th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849. The 200-forint commemorative circulation coin has been issued for the first time. 1 million pieces will be made of this special coin, while the silver collector coin will be minted in 6,000 pieces and the non-ferrous version in 8,000 pieces. The renewed thematic side of the 200-forint coin was designed by applied artist András Szilos, the obverse of the collector coin by sculptor Zoltán Kovács and the reverse by applied artist Andrea Horváth. Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849) was a Hungarian poet, revolutionary, a national hero, one of the most iconic figures of Hungarian literature and culture. His poems were translated into the most languages in Hungarian poetry. 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 started the concept of the literary icon. As an embodiment of Hungarian Romanticism, he introduced new themes into Hungarian poetry, such as the family poetry, the depiction of the Puszta (Hungarian grasslands) and the idea of a free world. His exceptional popularity was also due to the fact that he used plain language in his works, and incorporated the language of the people into literature. 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 MNB is issuing a 200-forint commemorative circulation coin, as well as a particularly large silver collector coin of 30,000 forints and its 7,500-forint non-ferrous metal version. A collector version is issued for the first time in the history of the 200-forint circulation coins. The face value side of these special coins is identical to the denomination side of the 200-forint coin currently in circulation, but the thematic side features a modern rasterized representation of Sándor Petőfi’s portrait drawn by Miklós Barabás 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.