Results of the public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin commemorating the 300th anniversary of the birth of Jozef Karol Hell

First prize (reduced)
Mgr. art. Roman Lugár

Second prize
Miroslav Rónai

Third prize (increased)
Mária Poldaufová

In June 2012 Národná banka Slovenska announced a public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Jozef Karol Hell, a prominent mining pump designer, inventor, and chief engineer who helped establish the mining industry in Banská Štiavnica. A total of thirteen designs were anonymously entered in the competition, and in September 2012 they were judged by the NBS Governor’s Committee for the Assessment of Slovak Euro Coin Designs. The expert advisor to the Committee was Ing. Magdaléna Sombathyová, from the Slovak Museum in Banská Štiavnica.

The design that won first prize and will be used for the coin was made by Mgr. art. Roman Lugár. The Committee appreciated in particular the design’s balance between thematic and artistic elements, notably on the obverse side where the sharp lines of the technical equipment are moderated by softer details elsewhere in the composition. The motif chosen for the obverse side is the most prominent landmark in Banská Štiavnica – the New Castle. Below it is depicted a mining environment with wooden mine props, rising water, and pumping pipes. The design is completed with two lizards, relating to a legend about the discovery of gold and silver in the Banská Štiavnica area and the start of mining there. The reverse side is dominated by the beam of a column pump. The oldest coat of arms of Banská Štiavnica is a reference to one of places of where Jozef Karol Hell worked. On both the obverse and reverse sides, the lettering fits in with the overall balance of the design. However, based on comments by certain members of the Committee and representatives of Národná banka Slovenská, the designer was advised to modify the obverse design to bring the form of the draining pipes and pumping mechanism in line with period illustrations and, on the reverse side, to make minor modifications to the beam’s strengthening element.

The second prize was awarded to Miroslav Rónai. The Committee appreciated the artistic level of his design, with its obverse side featuring a contrast between, on the one hand, a beam pump and mine measuring equipment and, on the other hand, an impressive townscape of Banská Štiavnica. A hammer and pick positioned next to the beam represent mining. The reverse design shows a detailed fire sprinkler designed and built by Jozef Karol Hell. The design is rounded off with a reproduction of the inventor’s signature.

The third prize went to Mária Poldaufová for a design that was commended by the Committee for the choice of motfis and the expectionally intricate illustrations on the obverse and reverse sides. The obverse side shows a period townscape of Banská Štiavnica along with mine measuring equipment, positioned so as to suggest they are under the town. The central motif on the reverse side is a beam pump with a detailed depiction of how it works.

On 2 October 2012 the Bank Board of Národná banka Slovenska discussed the results of the competition and concurred with the recommendation of the Committee. The final choice for the design of the coin was confirmed by a decision of the NBS Governor of 3 October 2013.