100 Forint Kossuth bankó

The "Kossuth bankó" series was Hungary's first domestically produced paper currency, issued by the revolutionary government as the Hungarian Diet broke from Habsburg financial control during the 1848–49 war of independence. Printing in Budapest rather than Vienna was itself a political act — the notes were produced under siege conditions, with resources stretched as Austrian forces advanced.

Tyroler, a Budapest-based engraver of genuine technical skill, designed and cut the plates himself. That a single craftsman handled both design and engraving in-country, without recourse to established European banknote printers, is the real story here. The watermarked paper was sourced domestically, a logistical achievement given the blockade.

After the revolution's defeat in August 1849, Habsburg authorities declared the notes void and attempted mass confiscation — many Hungarians buried or hid them as relics of resistance.