Bohem ia & Hungary
Silver Den ar of M adonn a & Child
Order code: MEDHUNGARYALB
Coin ty pe and grade m ay v ary
som ew hat from im age
Hungary was am ong the last kingdom s in Central Europe to adopt Christianity, resisting conversion until the reign of St.
Stephen in 10 38 CE. But the Magyars took to the new religion with great zeal, as evidenced by these silver denar coins
featuring the im age of the Madonna and child.
A bulwark against the encroaching Muslim forces, m edieval Hungary was almost constantly at war with the Ottom an Turks,
who sought to bring Islam to Central and Western Europe. In spite of this uninterrupted warfare, the kingdom was
prosperous, m aintaining high-quality silver coinage throughout the period.
Unlike earlier European coins of the Middle Ages, these silver denars were am ong the first to feature a full date, although it
is generally obscured or off the flan com pletely due to the crude m anufacturing m ethods. The choice of Madonna and child
was perhaps a sign of piety, or a com bination of Christian faith and defiance of the Turks. The com plex coat of arm s evolved
during the centuries, culm inating in King Rudolf’s design, which combined the m any variations into a single coat of arm s.
Minted from the m id-15th to the early 17th centuries, the coins are one of the most revered of the tim e period. Known as
Maddonnenmunzen, to differentiate them from earlier “shield coins,” the new design heralded the beginning of the
Renaissance in Hungary.
This authentic silver denar coin circulated in the Kingdom of Bohem ia and Hungary in the Medieval and Early Renaissance
periods. It was hand struck by Magyar craftsm en under the authority of the reigning monarch, and circulated for centuries.
One side shows the coat of arm s, while the other features the Virgin Mary and the baby J esus. Only a sm all quantity of these
rare and beautiful coins have survived the passage of centuries.
Data:
Weight: 0 .5-0 .6 gram s; Diam eter: 15.5-16m m
Album open m easures: 11” x 7.5”
Album folded m easures: 5.5” x 7.5”