Hungary. New silver proof coins honour prominent author of Hungarian literature.

He was born in Komárom, a city in on the south bank of the Danube on the 18^th February 1825 and is remembered as one of the most outstanding and versatile figures in Hungarian literature. An extremely prolific author in his day, Jókai wrote in several literary genres with numerous novels, short stories, plays, poems and newspaper articles to his name. During his lifetime and after his death, his work has been recognised with numerous accolades and awards.

His political and public activities were also noteworthy and began when he met Sandor Petőfi (1823 – 1849) today considered Hungary's national poet, and one of the key figures of the Hungarian Revolution. This meeting occurred during his school years and which coincided with the March Youth, a group of young intellectuals who seized a printing press at the Landerer-Heckenast printing house in Hungary’s capital. They printed and distributed a pamphlet entitled the Twelve Points, containing the demands of their movement for independence from the Austrian crown. Jókai supported the 1848 - 49 revolution as an editor of newspapers in Pest and Debrecen while at the same time, he became a member of parliament after the re-establishment of the Hungarian constitution by the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.

From 1860 he was a corresponding member of the Kisfaludy Society, a literary guild in Pest, founded in 1836 and from 1858 he was a full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Jókai was a founding member and president of the Petőfi Society founded in honour of his friend in 1876.

From 1870, Jókai was an extremely prolific writer, devoting most of his time to literature and authoring his romantic novels which were translated from the Hungarian language to English. His works became widely popular among the elite of Victorian England and one of his most famous admirers was Queen Victoria herself and where he was often compared to Charles Dickens by the press. Jókai’s collected works were published between 1894 and 98 which filled 100 volumes and at this time in 1897, King Francis Joseph appointed him a member of the Upper House in Hungary. Jókai died in Budapest on the 5 May 1904 and was buried alongside his first wife Róza Laborfalvi, who had died in 1886 in the Kerepesi Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Hungary.

The silver proof and BU base metal coins are produced by Hungary’s National Mint at their facilities in Budapest on behalf of the National Bank. Designed by sculptor Zoltán Kovács, the obverse side features a seated portrait of Mór Jókai inspired by a photograph of the writer taken in Budapest in the late 1870’s. To the left of the portrait are the years 1825 – 1904 referring to Jókai’s year of birth and death. Jókai’s facsimile signature is shown below the years. The designer’s stylised monogram in seen just to the lower left and placed on the corner of the desk. The reverse side focuses on the exceptional artistry of the spine and hardcover detail of one of the volumes of the Gottermayer-bound book series entitled ‘All the Works of Mór Jókai – National Edition’ published by the Révai Brothers in honour of Jókai’s 50th anniversary as a writer in 1894. Shown along the left rim is the text MAGYARORSZÁG (Hungary) and arranged in two lines parallel to the spine in a vertical direction is the denomination 20000 FORINT (silver) or 3000 FORINT (Cupro-nickel), along with the mintmark BP below denoting the Mint of Budapest and the year 2025 above. 

Available from the 18^th February, the proof silver and BU base metal coins are encapsulated and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Mint of Hungary. Collectors in North America can visit the Coin & Currency Institute partner distributor.