2,000 forint – 175th anniversary of Mihály Munkácsy’s birth

The MNB will issue a silver collector coin of HUF 10,000 and its HUF 2,000 non-ferrous metal version on the 175th anniversary of Munkácsy’s birth. The primary role of collector coins is to educate and pay tribute, therefore they are not to be used in everyday payments. Their face value serves to preserve the value the coins represent to collectors. With the collector coins to be issued today the Bank wishes to pay tribute to the outstanding figure of 19th century Hungarian painting, whose genre paintings depict the typical characters in the life of the European and Hungarian societies and the municipal and rural communities with the sensitivity of an expert in sociography. His landscapes represent the finest pieces in European realist and plein-air painting. The most prestigious prize in visual arts in Hungary has also borne the name of Munkácsy since 1950. The silver and the non-ferrous metal versions have the same design, the only difference being their denominations. The collector coins were designed by applied artist Gábor Kereszthury. As the central motif on the obverse a scene from Mihály Munkácsy’s Christ in front of Pilate, adapted for the coin, is shown, which was the first piece of his Christ trilogy, presenting the Passion of Christ, painted in 1881. The compulsory design elements of collector coins are also placed here: the lettering ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ (Hungary), the denominations 10,000 and 2,000 ‘FORINT’, the mint year 2019, as well as the mint mark ‘BP.’. The central motif on the thematic side was inspired by Munkácsy’s self-portrait, painted in 1896, which is complemented by the lettering ‘MUNKACSY’ in the upper legend and the years 1844 and 1900 marking the birth and the death of the artist. The master mark of applied artist Gábor Kereszthury, the designer of the coin, is hidden in the motif and is shown as part of the palette. Both collector coins are 37 mm in diameter. Their edge is reeded. The silver coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 is struck in .925 fine silver and weighs 24 grams. The non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of HUF 2,000 is produced from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%) and weighs 23.7 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.