Hungary Denar 1503 to 1696

This extremely long-lived series of coins actually starts even earlier and goes even later than our title indicates. We have attempted to group together all coins of the same design, the same material, approximately the same inscriptions, and the same weight and size unto this page.

The coins discussed here all have several things in common. One side (the obverse) features a shield of 4-fold or 2-fold arms with a center shield of Austria in the center. The other side (the reverse) features a seated Madonna holding a child, probably baby Jesus.

These denars were struck in silver, and they are some tiny coins. They are very thin, often weighing less than a gram, and the diameters usually fall in the 13-16 mm range.

Some coins are struck on large, thick flans weighing several grams. These catalog at values up to ten times higher than those listed on this page.

Sometimes you see these with a very coppery look, a date that is hard to interpret, and a seemingly illiterate, botched inscription. These are contemporary counterfeits, i.e. coins made as forgeries in the 16th or 17th centuries to fool merchants back then. Such coins catalog at values around half of those listed on this page. If the date is clear, the values of contemporary counterfeits can increase to three quarters of the values listed on this page.

The inscription on the obverse will mention the ruler. The reverse will read 'PATRONA VNGARIE' or a similar abbreviation. The list below will show how the ruler's name can be found written on the coin. If the date is not visible, you can use this to date your coin roughly.

Wladislaw II, coins struck 1503-1518: 'WLADISLAI'
worn: $8 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $25
well preserved: $55

Ferdinand I, coins struck 1527-1565: 'FERDINA' or 'FER'
worn: $7
average circulated: $20
well preserved: $40

Maximilian II, coins struck 1565-1578: 'MAX. II'
worn: $8
average circulated: $22
well preserved: $42

Rudolf II, coins struck 1579-1608: 'RVD. II'
worn: $9
average circulated: $38
well preserved: $65

Matthias II, coins struck 1609-1620: 'MAT. II'
worn: $8
average circulated: $45
well preserved: $60
coins of Matthias II dated after 1613 catalog at the same values as those of Ferdinand II listed just below:

Ferdinand II, coins struck 1619-1637: 'FER. II'
worn: $6
average circulated: $22
well preserved: $48

Ferdinand III, coins struck 1638-1659: 'FER. III'
worn: $7
average circulated: $35
well preserved: $65

Leopold I, coins struck 1659-1696: 'LEOP'
Same values as coins of Ferdinand III just above.

Note that the numeral '2' on earlier issues of these coins often will be written as a 'Z'. Thus, '15Z0' means '1520'.

Coins that do not show the date will catalog at about 1/4 of the values listed above. Coins that are holed, bent or otherwise severely damaged will be worth zero. Refer to our Important Terminology page found at the top left in order to understand the true meaning of the somewhat ambiguous term 'catalog value'.
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