Collector coin with a face value of HUF 1000 to commemorate the inventor

‘László Bíró, Inventor of the Ballpoint Pen’

On 29 September 2010, the Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a cupro-nickel collector coin ‘László Bíró, Inventor of the Ballpoint Pen’ with a face value of HUF 1,000 in honour of the inventor’s birthday. By issuing the coin, the MNB commemorates László Bíró, the revolutionary reformer of writing instruments. The collector coin is part of a series presenting the technical innovations of Hungarian engineers and inventors.

The collector coin was designed by György Szabó. In addition to the standard design elements (the value numeral: 1000, the legend: REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY, the year of issue: 2010 and the mint mark: BP), the obverse of the coin shows a stylised representation of a ballpoint pen based on a technical drawing.

The reverse bears the portrait of László Bíró as a main motif. The inscriptions ‘INVENTOR OF THE BALLPOINT PEN’ and ‘BÍRÓ LÁSZLÓ JÓZSEF’ are located above and to the left of the portrait, respectively. The designer’s mark appears in the lower left corner of the coin.

The square collector coin is made of cupro-nickel (75% copper and 25% nickel) and weighs 14 grams. Its size is 28.43x28.43 mm and it has a smooth edge.

The mintage limit is 20,000 pieces, of which 10,000 are produced using the special proof technology.

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