Hungary: New Large-size Silver Proof Coins Mark 175th Anniversary Of The Martyrs Of Arad

This year, Hungary honours the 175th anniversary of the execution of the martyrs of Arad who gave their lives for independence. In conjunction with the revolution of 1848-49, it was on the 6th October 1849 when 13 army officers of the campaign were executed in the town of Arad because of their role in the war of independence. On the same day, the first constitutional prime minister of Hungary, Lajos Batthyány was executed in the city of Pest. The executions were deliberately timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Vienna Revolution of 1848 and the assassination of the Imperial Minister of War Theodor Baillet von Latour. This act was the climax of the reprisals after the defeated war of independence.

At the disposal of Julius Jakob Freiherr von Haynau (1786 – 1853) an Austrian general who suppressed insurrectionary movements in Italy and Hungary, he was given full power in Hungary. As a result, the military leaders fighting for Hungarian national sovereignty and self-determination were sentenced to death by firing squad and hanging. According to witnesses, the 13 martyred military officers bore the sentence imposed on them with exceptional courage. Lajos Batthyány was executed on the site of today's Batthyány heritage church, then buried in the downtown Franciscan church, but finally rested in the Fiumei út cemetery after his public reburial. The wave of revenge only subsided in July 1850, when, due to general European indignation, the Viennese court retired von Haynau, who was found to have exceeded his authority. On the 24th November 2001, the Hungarian government declared the 6th October a national day of mourning. On this day, the state flag with a black banner around it is lowered to half-mast on public buildings and commemorations are held.

The coins are produced by the Mint of Hungary at their facilities in Budapest on behalf of the National Bank and designed by artisan István Kósa. Both bace metal and silver coins are identical in design with the exception oftheir denomination. The obverse includes a half-length depiction of Prime Minister Lajos Batthyány based on a painting by Miklós Barabás. To the left of the portrait, is the inscription MAGYARORSZÁG (Hungary) placed along the rim. To the right of the portrait is the denomination 30000 (silver) or 7500 (cupro-nickel) FORINT along with the BP mintmark denoting the Mint in Budapest. In a vertical direction is a facsimile signature of Lajos Batthyány. The reverse side features to the left a stylised representation of a headstone, into which the inscription 1849 denoting the year of the execution of the martyrs at the top and the names which each man was executed in the following order – By firing squad, Aristzid Dessewffy, Vilmos Lázár, József Schweidel, Ernő Kiss and Ernő Poeltenberg, Ignác Török, György Láhner, Károly Knezić, József Nagysándor, Károly Leiningen-Westerburg, Lajos Aulich, János Damjanich and Károly Vécsey, by hanging. Below the last name is the coin’s year of issue, 2024. On the right side of the stone is intricate detail from the Statue of Liberty monument in the town of Arad which was the work of sculptor György Zala. Along the rim to the upper right, is the inscription ARADI VÉRTANÚK (Martyrs of Arad) Placed between the memorial stone and image of the statue are the designer’s stylised initials KI. Each side also features a 13-sided inner rim reiterating the focus of the thirteen martyrs.

Available from the 7^th October, each coin is encapsulated and accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. A presentation case is also available as a separate purchase. In addition to the collector’s series, a circulation type coin of 200 Forint is also issued. Designed by sculptor Zoltán Kovács, the obverse side includes a three-quarter front-facing portrait of Lajos Batthyány on the obverse side and the current reverse degign on the reverse. The bi-metallic UNC coin has a mintage of one million pieces and a BU mintage of 12,000. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Hungarian Mint.

The base metal versions are available for purchase at face value from their date of release. Collectors resident in Hungary can visit the coin shop of the Hungarian Mint Ltd. located at 7 Báthory street - Budapest, distr. V