2019-09-03 Tue

The National Bank of Hungary and the Hungarian Mint introduced a new coin series called “Hungarian sheep and hunting dog breeds”. The first coin in the series is dedicated to Vizsla breed and will be released by the end of September. The obverse side of the legal tender 2,000 forint coin depicts a front-facing head of the Vizsla, while the reverse side depicts two of them standing in shallow water. The coin is struck in proof-like quality, using an alloy made of copper, nickel, and zinc. The 16 grams coin has a diameter of 34 mm and a mintage limit of 10,000 pieces.

The Vizsla dog breed was mentioned for the first time in the Vienna Chronicle for King Louis I of Hungary in the 14th century. It's a combination of breeds collected by the Magyars before they came to Hungary more than a thousand years ago. They are known for their ability to point, retrieve and attack mammals over thick vegetation.

These extremely agile and strong dogs were on the verge of extinction several times. They became popular in the 18th century but had to face stiff competition from other breeds like English and German Shorthaired Pointers towards the end of the 19th century. It is believed that after the Second World War, their population was reduced to just about twelve. Many Hungarians ran away from the Russian dominion of Hungary and migrated with their dogs to other nations like the United States. On 25th November 1960, the Vizsla was listed as the 115th breed by the American Kennel Club.

Image Courtesy: The National Bank of Hungary