Banknotes
The Magyar Nemzeti Bank has issued new banknote series from 1997. The front side of the new banknotes bears the portraits of outstanding persons of Hungarian history, while on the back there are related historical scenes. On the five hundred forint the portrait of Ferenc Rákóczi II by Ádám Mányoki is accompanied on the back by the Castle in Sárospatak. The front of the one thousand forint banknote bears the portrait of Matthias Corvinus, while the Fountain Hercules, a detail of the Renaissance palace at Visegrád, is visible on the back. On the front side of the two thousand forint banknote there is a portrait of Prince Gábor Bethlen, and on the back he is portrayed among his scientists. The portrait of Count István Széchenyi on the five thousand forint banknote is complemented with his mansion at Nagycenk depicted on the back. The ten thousand forint banknote bears the portrait of King Stephen on the front, and a view of Esztergom on the back. The highest denomination of the series, the twenty thousand forint banknote commemorates „the Sage of the Country”, Ferenc Deák, and the Old House of Commons can be seen on the back.
Many of these celebrated statesmen also played an important role in the issuance of Hungarian currencies. Coinage in Hungary was launched by Saint Stephen, the first golden florin was issued by Charles Robert, the later famous Madonna motif first appeared on Hungarian coins under Matthias Corvinus, and brass coins liberté were minted by Ferenc Rákóczi II. The reign of Gábor Bethlen is known as one of the most colourful chapters of Hungarian issuance of currencies.
In terms of the contemporary history of forint banknotes, the year 2000 was a special occasion as a commemorative 2000 forint banknote was issued by the Magyar Nemzeti Bank, to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of the Hungarian state. The front of the commemorative banknote shows the Holy Crown of Hungary, a symbol of the sovereignty of the state, its constitutionality and the rule of law for many centuries. The back of the banknote bears an engraving, styled on Gyula Benczúr’s famous painting, The Baptism of Vajk.
All of the banknotes are the same size (154 mm x 70 mm). Every denomination is printed on new paper containing a watermark, security thread and embedded fibres, using advanced printing technology and featuring a number of security features.
Features of the banknote series
The colour of the banknote paper is white. The dominating printed motifs of the front of the banknotes are the following: the portrait, the denomination both in figures and letters, the inscription MAGYAR NEMZETI BANK, the certifying signatures and the coat of arms of the Republic of Hungary. On the back, the notes show a related historical scene and the denomination both in figures and letters. Intaglio print is used for these important details, and the ink layer is tactile.
The banknote paper is produced by Diósgyőr Paper Mill Limited. The banknotes were designed by Károly Vagyóczky and printed by the Hungarian Banknote Printing Shareholding Company.
Hungarian banknotes contain several security features to protect against counterfeiting. Some of these features can be seen and recognised by the naked eye, while others can be only identified using special tools. Banknotes contain common security features, which are the same in case of each denomination, and individual features, depending on the denomination as well.
The latest versions of the different denomination banknotes (issued in September 2008 and April 2009) are almost identical in their appearance with the earlier banknotes but they also contain additional graphic features in the background printing to make counterfeiting with colour reproduction methods more difficult.