Description
Minting in Hungary started with the country’s first king, Saint Stephen, who struck the first denars in 1001.In the 18th century, King Charles Robert (Charles I, r. 1308-1342) reformed Hungary’s monetary system and established several minting chambers including the most important one in Körmöcbánya in 1328 (considered to be the direct predecessor of the Hungarian Mint), which became world famous for the volume and quality of its gold coins. After World War I, the mint in Körmöcbánya was dismantled in 1918 and moved to Budapest, where it began work as the Royal Hungarian State Mint in 1925, at the corner of the Üllői út/Könyves Kálmán körút. After the coins of the pengő system were withdrawn, the mint functioned as the State Mint National Enterprise, striking the coins of the forint monetary system. The Mint was transformed into a company limited by shares in 1992, with the Magyar Nemzeti Bank initially as the majority owner and then the sole owner from 1998. The Mint has had an international quality assurance system in place since 1996. In 2001, MNB Érmekereskedelmi Rt. was merged into the Mint, which then turned into a close company in 2006. The main tasks of the Hungarian Mint Ltd. is to perform the minting of money and coins on the basis of national traditions, to ensure the smooth production of the circulation coins required for payment operations by the Magyar Nemzeti Bank and commemorative coins. The Company ascribes great importance to maintaining the 1000-year traditions of Hungarian minting and showcasing the values of Hungarian history and culture.