August 22, 2013 – The 150th anniversary of birth of the writer Géza Gárdonyi (03.08.1863-30.10.1922) is celebrated by the Magyar Nemzeti Bank with the issue of a base metal collector coin, depicting the portrait of the author and the scene of battle against the Ottoman Turks at the castle of Eger in 1552. This heroic and glorious fight inspired Gárdonyi to write its history. His novel titled the “Stars of Eger” or the “Eclipse of the Crescent Moon”, which has been printed some 4 million times in Hungary since its publication, translated into 20 languages (including Turkish most recently in 2013) is widely known as one of Hungary’s most favorite novels.
Hungary / 1,000 HUF / CuNiZn / 9.4 g / 29.2 mm / Design: Gábor Benö Pogány / Mintage: 10.000.
The coin’s designer, Gábor Benö Pogány drew his inspiration from the 1867 painting “Women of Eger” by Bertalan Székely, as the central motif on the coin is the figure of a woman in the midst of a wild battle scene of the painting.
‘Women of Eger’, painting by Bertalan Székely 1867. Source: Wikipedia.
The coin thus pays tribute both to the eternal memory of the defenders of the Castle of Eger and Gárdonyi’s classic work.
It will be also available in an exclusive mint set packaging, including the proof quality 2013 minted circulation coins of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 HUF denomination. The mint set version is limited in 4,000 pieces PP quality only.
For more information please have a look at The Hungarian Mint’s website.
Here you can get more details about Géza Gárdonyi’s Birth Place, Memorial Museum and Galery in Agárdpuszta.
The city of Eger today has a museum honoring Géza Gárdonyi.
If you want to read the novel “Stars of Eger” in its original, Hungarian version, you can do so here.