Catalog number: 500SK99TR

500 Sk Slovakia 1999 - Thaler Minting

Commemorative silver coin of the Slovak Republic 1999, nominal value 500 Sk - Minting of the first thaler coins in Kremnica - 500th anniversary.

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Commemorative silver coin of the Slovak Republic 1999, nominal value 500 Sk - Minting of the first thaler coins in Kremnica - 500th anniversary.
Material: Ag 925, Cu 75
Diameter: 40 mm
Weight: 33.63 g
Author: Ing. Milan Virčík
Edge: inscription: GULDINER - PREDECESSOR OF THE THALER
Quality:
ordinary: mintage 12,400 pcs
proof: mintage 1,400 pcs
issue date: 20.7.1999

Specification
The rapid development of trade, the need for higher value coins, and the simultaneous shortage of gold at the end of the 15th century led to efforts to supplement or replace gold coins with heavier silver ones. The first were Venetian lira and Milanese testons (1472-1474), followed by Tyrolean pfundners and half-guldiners, and finally in 1486 guldiners.
They were followed by Lorraine guldiners (1488) and guldiners of the Swiss cantons of Bern (1491), Sitten (1498), and Basel (1499). In 1499, the mint in Kremnica also joined the first attempts to introduce a heavy silver coin. All these rare and today precious mintings are a harbinger of the thaler currency era.
The first thaler coins - guldiners - were minted in Kremnica during the reign of Vladislaus II Jagiellon from 1499 to 1506. The initiator of their minting was the significant mining and metallurgical entrepreneur, merchant, and financier, chamber count Ján I. Thurzo. They are among the most beautiful coins of their time and represent the rich traditions of mining and advanced methods of processing precious metals in Slovakia, where a significant portion of Europe's gold, silver, and copper was produced in the Middle Ages.

Obverse:
On the obverse of the coin, the minting process of the time is depicted in the center of the coin field, with the nominal value indicated at the bottom. In the ring created by the pearl border and the edge of the coin, the name of the state "SLOVAK REPUBLIC" is inscribed, divided by the state emblem at the top. At the bottom of the ring is the minting year "1999". The initials of the author of the artistic design, Ing. Milan Virčík "MV", and the mark of the Kremnica Mint "MK" are placed to the right and left of the minting year.

Reverse:
On the reverse of the coin, the original thaler coins are depicted in the center of the coin field, combined with a period view of Kremnica, the place of their minting. Above them is the year "1499" indicating the beginning of thaler coin minting and the name of the town "Kremnica". In the ring created by the pearl border and the edge of the coin, the text "500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MINTING OF THE FIRST THALER COINS" is inscribed.

source: nbs.sk