The Eger Castle commemorative coin is the 8th piece of the Hungarian Castles series

The Eger Castle commemorative coins are legal tender in Hungary, but they do not serve circulatory purposes. Their primary role is raising awareness, providing education and paying homage to the decisive historical events and heroes of the Hungarian nation. Eger Castle played a key role in the defence of the country, as part of the border fortress system in the Kingdom of Hungary. The most famous event of its history of one thousand years is the siege of 1552, when the army of about two thousand warriors, led by governor István Dobó, valiantly defended the castle against a Turkish army almost thirty times their size. This heroic victory was commemorated in a song by Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos and chronicled in a novel by Géza Gárdonyi entitled Eclipse of the Crescent Moon.

The commemorative coins were designed by DLA sculptor László Szunyogh. Both coins are identical in their graphic design, with the denomination being the only difference.

On the obverse the bust of István Dobó, the famous governor who defended the castle can be seen, wearing an armour and a helmet, showing a side view of him. In the upper legend the name DOBÓ ISTVÁN is featured. To the right of the governor’s figure a vine leaf is shown, making a reference to his activities as a vineyard owner and the flourishing wine production in Eger. The compulsory design elements of commemorative coins are also placed here: the value numerals 10,000 and 2000 FORINTS, respectively, the mint year 2018 and the mintmark ‘BP.’ containing a special security element, and in addition, DLA sculptor László Szunyogh’s master mark.

On the reverse the most well-known, southern-side image of the Eger Castle with the Hippolit Tower, the Gergely Bastion and a part of the castle wall is shown. In the foreground, the inscription “EGRI VÁR” appears in the middle, below that the legend reads “MAGYARORSZÁG”, which is also an obligatory element of the coin. The circular legend on the edge of the reverse side says ‘A FALAK EREJE NEM A KŐBEN VAN, HANEM A VÉDŐK LELKÉBEN’ (THE STRENGTH OF THE WALLS LIES NOT IN THE STONES, BUT IN THE SOULS OF THE DEFENDERS), which is a reference to the patriotic speech given by István Dobó encouraging his soldiers before the siege.

Both commemorative coins are 38.61 mm in diameter, their edges are reeded. The coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 is struck in 925‰ silver and the non-ferrous metal version with a face value of HUF 2,000 is made from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%). The silver coin weighing 31.46 grams is made in proof and the non-ferrous metal version weighing 30.8 grams in BU finish. The commemorative coins are issued in limited quantities: 7000 pieces can be made of the silver and 5000 pieces of the gold version.

To promote the coins' value conveying and educational role as widely as possible the Eger Castle silver commemorative coin can be purchased for three months and the non-ferrous metal version without time constraint, subject to availability, at their face value from 22 June 2018 at the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint Ltd. (Budapest, distr. V, 7 Báthory street) and in the webshop on the company’s website (https://penzvero.hu) as well as at the location where the coins will be issued, in the István Dobó Castle Museum.