MNB Commemorative Coin on Rubik's Cube 50th Anniversary

The National Bank of Hungary (MNB) will issue a non-ferrous commemorative coin with a face value of HUF 3,000 depicting the 50-year-old Rubik's Cube on the inventor Ernő Rubik's 80th birthday.

The focus of the commemorative coin is the globally popular spatial logic game, presenting the principle of operation of the invention. The commemorative coin was designed by András Szilos, a metalworking designer and industrial artist.

The obverse of the commemorative coin shows the representation of the Rubik's cube, the colors of which are expressed by different surface structures. The obverse also contains the mandatory formalities of the commemorative coins.

On the back of the commemorative coin, you can see the representation of the internal structure of the Rubik's Cube, with the inscription "RUBIK-CUBE" aligned to the lower left and lower right sides of the back. The Hungarian version of the Jubilee Rubik's Cube logo of Spin Master Toys UK Limited, which owns the rights to use the Rubik's Cube, is inserted in the right part of the representation. In the lower peak, you can see the master mark of András Szilos.

The special, hexagonal commemorative coin is made of an alloy of 89% copper, 5% aluminum, 5% zinc, and 1% tin, the so-called Nordic gold alloy, and weighs 20 grams. 20,000 pieces of the commemorative coin can be produced using a special so-called proof-like technology.

In order to promote the role of commemorative coins as a means of conveying value and raising awareness as widely as possible, the non-ferrous metal commemorative coin "50 years of the Rubik's Cube" – depending on the available stock – can be purchased at face value for one year after the issue from the first working day after the issue, July 15, from the coin manufacturer and distributor Magyar Pénzverő Plc. coin shop and online store.

In the spring of 1974, Ernő Rubik Jr. developed the three-dimensional mechanical logic game, which he originally patented under the name magic cube on December 31, 1977. The creator quickly realized the possibility of an exciting game, which is both simple and complex, individual and social, in a learning aid that is also excellent for illustrating spatial movement.

"The essence of the invention is that the 27 elements that make up the large cube can be disassembled, i.e., brought into a new position without disassembling the large cube, to achieve which, a single homologous operation is required: the rotation of the nine small cubes that make up any face of the large cube" - reads the patent description .

After the spatial logic game was renamed in 1980, it conquered the world under the name Rubik's cube. The first Rubik's Cube World Championship was organized on June 5, 1982, and has been held every two years since 2003.

Today, the Rubik's Cube is considered one of the biggest and most successful Hungarian inventions, with more than 500 million units sold worldwide.