The Magyar Nemzeti Bank will issue a collector coin to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of Sebestyén Tinódi. Very little is known about his life. Historians estimate his year of birth to be around 1515. What we know about his life is mainly derived from his poems. He is basically considered an author of historical songs. The majority of his poems are chronicles in verses about the events of his time. He was the only one of his contemporaries to issue an independent volume entitled ‘Cronica’ during the century, in 1554. He composed the melodies of his own chronicles. The title ‘Lutenist’ became popular in later periods, closely associated with his name. No authentic representation has survived about Tinódi. Emperor Ferdinand I granted him the patent of nobility in recognition of his authorship.

The centre of the obverse of the commemorative coin bears a representation of the strings of a lute embellished with a Renaissance rose-work and tail-piece. The mint mark ‘BP’ and the mint year ‘2015’ are positioned on the right and left of the representation. The upper edge of the is inscribed with ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’. The value numeral and the inscription ‘FORINT’ are placed on the lowed edge. The upper and lower legends are separated by dots.

The reverse of the collector coin bears a representation of the coat-of-arms of Sebestyén Tinódi. The inscriptions ‘1515K’ and ‘1556’ are on the right and left of the coat-of-arms, respectively, with the initials of designer Tamás E. Soltra placed below. On the upper edge, the coin is inscribed with ‘TINÓDI SEBESTYÉN’ and, on the lower edge, with ‘500 ÉVE SZÜLETETT’. The upper and lower legends are separated by dots.

The coin is struck in .925 fine silver and weighs 24 grams. It is 37 mm in diameter and has a milled edge. The non-ferrous metal coin is  roduced from copper (75%) and nickel (25%). It weighs 23.7 grams and has the same size and design as the silver coin. From 2014, each precious metal commemorative coin will be issued in a less expensive non-ferrous metal version to benefit collectors who wish to buy the same artistic theme at a more affordable price. By issuing lower-priced versions, the MNB and the Hungarian Mint would also like to encourage younger generations to collect commemorative coins. Accordingly, the Sebestyén Tinódi silver collector coin with a face value of HUF 10,000 and the non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of HUF 2,000 will be on sale at a price equal to their face value.