Description
The seventh coin of the Gold Florins collection series of Medieval Hungary was a commemorative coin of János Hunyadi’s gold forint. John Hunyadi, one of the most powerful barons of his age, was elected by the Estates of Hungary as regent in June 1446 until King Ladislaus V came of age. At that time, the Diet invested Hunyadi with power almost equal to that of a king, and thus Hunyadi took advantage of his right to mint coinage. He remained in this position until 1452 and after resigning continued to serve as captain general of the kingdom and administrator of the royal revenues. Of his many military feats, perhaps the most famous occurred in the summer of 1456, when he broke the siege of Belgrade by the Turks, forcing his enemies into retreat. He died in a plague epidemic after the siege on 11 August 1456. Under the regency of John Hunyadi, two kinds of gold florins were minted at Nagybánya (present-day: Baia Mare, Romania), in addition to silver coinage. The back of both coins shows King Saint Ladislaus I, with mint marks to both sides of the figure; the difference between the two is found in the coat-of-arms on the front. While one kind has the apostles’ two-barred cross and the raven of the House of Hunyadi on the quartered escutcheon, the other features the Czech lion instead of the two-barred cross. A collector coin that’s great for any collection! A memorable, valuable gift for any fan of history! Also great for investors!