King Saint Stephen, Szent István Király, Hungarian collector coin, UNC patinated, with circular

King Stephen has always been considered one of the most important statesmen in the history of Hungary. His main achievement was the establishment of a Christian state that ensured that the Hungarians survived in the Carpathian Basin, in contrast to the Huns, Avars and other peoples who had previously controlled the same territory. As Sir Bryan Cartledge (former British Ambassador) emphasizes, Stephen also gave his kingdom "forty years of relative peace and sound but unspectacular rule".

Front: Displaying the official motifs of the era, the coin presents the most important achievements of St. Stephen’s reign. The front depicts the back of the Lancea Regis dénár minted by St. Stephen, which is surrounded by ten stylised cross motifs. The main image can be interpreted as a church, referring to St. Stephen’s role in establishing the state and the church as well as his minting activities, while the cross motifs represent the most important achievement of his rule, the development of the diocesan system consisting of ten bishoprics. The front of the coin has the mandatory elements (denomination 3000 Forint, Magyarország legend, BP. mint mark and the 2021 date), along with the master mark.

Back: The central motif on the back, showing St. Stephen, presents a detail of the coronation mantle, which was originally made as a chasuble in 1031. This is the only surviving contemporary depiction of St. Stephen, presenting the crowned king with the orb in his left hand and the lance – as the symbol of royal authority – in his right hand. The semi-circular legend around the coin’s edge reads SZENT ISTVÁN KIRÁLY (King Saint Stephen), with the years of his reign (1000 and 1038) to the left of the image in two horizontal lines and the mark of designer Zoltán Tóth to the right. Around the smooth edge of the coin runs a circular legend with King Stephen’s title from a document of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma “STEFANUS SUPERNA PROVIDENTE CLEMENTIA UNGRORUM REX ?” (Stephen, by the Mercy of Supreme Providence, King of Hungary).