Catalog
5000 Korona
| Issuer | Hungarian Ministry of Finance |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette to the right shows a crowned allegorical female figure representing Hungaria, rendered in intaglio within an oval frame. The denomination ÖTEZER KORONA appears in large letterpress type across the centre, above a multi-line Hungarian text declaring the note's legal tender status, dated BUDAPEST, 1920. ÉVI JANUÁR HÓ 1-ÉN. The entire field is framed by intricate guilloche borderwork with corner numerals reading 5000, and a serial number and series prefix appear in red above the central text block. |
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| Obverse lettering | ÖTEZER KORONA / EZ AZ ÁLLAMJEGY, A MELY MAGYARORSZÁG FÜGGŐ ADÓSSÁGÁNAK RÉSZE, A TÖRVÉNY HATÁROZATAIHOZ KÉPEST MINDENKI ÁLTAL, VALAMINT MINDEN KÖZPÉNZTÁRNÁL FIZETÉSKÉPTELJES NÉVÉRTÉKBEN ELFOGADANDÓ. / BUDAPEST, 1920. ÉVI JANUÁR HÓ 1-ÉN. / PÉNZÜGYMINISTER. / AZ ÁLLAMJEGYEK UTÁNZÁSA A TÖRVÉNY SZERINT BÜNTETTETIK. / T.W. ORELL FÜSSLI ZURICH |
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| Comments |
Hungary's postwar monetary situation in 1920 was dire enough that the government could not rely on domestic printing capacity and contracted Orell Füssli in Zurich — a firm with deep roots in Swiss security printing — to produce this high-denomination note. The 5000 Korona was not an aspirational denomination; it was a response to inflation already eroding the purchasing power of smaller notes at speed.
Traugott Willi's engraving work for Orell Füssli during this period was technically accomplished, though the note's useful life proved short. The Korona collapsed under hyperinflationary pressure by 1924, when Hungary introduced the Pengő and retired the entire series.