3272) Coins for Hungary (3,000 Forint) and Tuvalu (2 Dollars) mark 50 Years of Rubik’s Cube Anniversary:
Undoubtedly one of the world’s most popular and perplexing puzzles, the amazing story of this international phenomenon began in 1974, fifty years ago.
It all started when Ernő Rubik (born 1944), a professor of design in Hungary, presented the prototype of his invention to his students which he crafted from a crude structure of wood and rubber bands.
Rubik applied for a patent in Hungary for his Magic Cube in January 1975 with the first products produced in late 1977 and released in Budapest toy shops.
It wouldn’t be for another three years until Rubik could file for an international patent and find a mass-production quality manufacturer outside Hungary.
But finally, the product previously named ‘Magic Cube’ hit the toy shelves around the world known as ‘Rubik’s Cube’ in 1980, and the rest is history.
Produced from a heavy-gauge plastic, each side was coloured respectively in white, red, blue, orange, green and yellow with each panel able to rotate across a central axis.
The puzzle consists of three rows of nine cubes, 26 unique miniature cubes and there are a total of 54 coloured squares on a standard 3x3 Rubik's Cube.
It takes the average person about three hours to solve a Rubik's cube for the first time, but it can take a seasoned ‘speed-cuber’ only 3.3 seconds.
As the name implies, speed-cubing is a competitive sport in itself and which participants solve most commonly, the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube as quickly as possible.
Ironically, the cube’s own inventor was the first person to solve the puzzle and he admitted it took him one month to do so.
Experts on the subject have calculated there are more than 43 quintillion individual combinations of movement to the standard Rubik’s cube and that written number is 43 followed by 18 zeroes.
However, it is estimated that only 5.8% of the total population can solve the Rubik's cube so, if you are among one of the elite, take pride in this achievement.
To date, more than 350 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold, earning the proud inventor more than $100 million in royalties and launching countless tournaments, puzzle clubs and an array of spin-off puzzles from Rubik and other puzzle creators around the world.
The first ever Rubik’s Cube World Championship took place in Rubik’s home city of Budapest in 1982 and around the world, there are millions of Rubik aficionados who remain drawn to the its ultimate simplicity and complexity.
Perth Mint Coins:
The Silver Coins with movable parts have been produced by the Perth Mint at their facilities in Western Australia on behalf of the Treasury of Tuvalu and designed by Wade Robinson.
Rubik's Cube
The coin’s focal point is a representative model of a Rubik’s® Cube.
Plated in 24-carat gold, the unique feature rotates in recognition of the puzzle’s twisting and turning method of play and featured from the Obverse and Reverse.
Included in the coin’s design on the Reverse is the official "RUBIK’S™ 50 YEARS™" coloured logo, which appears on an oxidised or antiqued pattern of cubes shown as background.
Also portrayed are coloured images of the puzzle in play. The inscription "TWIST, TURN, SOLVE" is shown on the left half side of the centred puzzle.
The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark is seen to the lower right near the periphery.
The Obverse includes a small effigy of King Charles III created by engraver Jody Clark placed at the top of the outer circle surrounding the Rubik’s puzzle.
Below the puzzle is the text "KING CHARLES III".
To the left are the coins’ specifications "2oz 9999 Ag" and the year of issue, "2024".
On the right half is the additional text "2 DOLLARS TUVALU".
The specifications of this Coin are:
Denomination: 2 Dollars; Metal Composition: .9999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 62.2 grams; Diameter: 45.6 mm; Coin Quality: Oxidised and Colour; Maximum Mintage: 2,000;
- Each coin is individually encapsulated and cleverly housed in a presentation box replica of Rubik’s® Cube that twists in order to open and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
Hungary - 3,000 Forint Coin:
Hungary’s Nordic gold (base metal) 3,000-forint coin and A 2-ounce silver coin for Tuvalu from the Perth Mint mark the 50th anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube.
The three-dimensional combination puzzle known to generations as a Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and architecture professor Erno Rubik.
Hungary and Tuvalu are both marking the anniversary with collector coins.
History-making cube:
Each face of a Rubik’s Cube comprises nine colored squares.
At the start of the puzzle, the squares are arranged so that each face of the cube is a uniform color — one each in yellow, white, blue, green, orange, and red.
An internal pivot mechanism, which allows each face to be twisted or turned independently, is then used to scramble the 54 colored squares, which, to complete the puzzle, must then be returned to their original configuration.
It was not until 1980 that the Rubik’s Cube was introduced internationally, when the cube, with 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 ways of arranging the squares, but with only one solution, quickly became an addiction, and took the world by storm.
Rights to sell Rubik’s cubes belong to the Spin Master Corporation, a Canadian multinational children’s toy and entertainment company.
According to Fortune, as of January 2024, around 500 million cubes had been sold worldwide, making it the world’s bestselling puzzle game, and, the bestselling toy.
Rubik’s Cube was inducted into the United States National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014.
The world record for solving a cube is 3.13 seconds.
Spin Master has granted the Hungarian National Bank approval for a coin issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of this Hungarian phenomenon.
Hungary’s coin:
The bank is issuing a total of 20,000 Prooflike 3,000-forint coins, which are being released by the Hungarian Mint on July 15, two days after the official anniversary.
The Hungarian coins are made from an alloy of copper, aluminum, zinc, and tin known as “Nordic gold.” The hexagonal-shaped coin measures 37.18 millimeters (1.5 inches) in diameter and weighs 20 grams.
The coin is accompanied by a certificate, something usually done only for precious metal issues.
The Obverse and Reverse of the coin show the cube from two perspectives, outside and inside.
The oblique Obverse view is of three faces of the cube as we know it, showing nine miniature cubes per side, arranged in a 3x3 pattern.
The Reverse solves a mystery for those who have never taken one apart.
It shows the inside, with a three-dimensional cross as its anchor, to which the cubes are interlocked in such a way as to enable them to rotate. The reverse also carries the toy company’s trademarked 50th anniversary logo. .
- Elements of this coin are individually antiqued to give them a unique finish conveying the surface abrasions of an aged artifact. As a result, the appearance of each coin in the mintage may vary.
- The coin weighs 62.213 grams, measures 45.6 millimeters in diameter, and has a mintage limit of 3,000 pieces.
Coins depicting Rubik's Cube:
1) Coins for Hungary (3,000) Forint and Tuvalu (2 Dollars) mark 50 Years of Rubik's Cube Anniversary
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