Silver Coin Štefan Banič - 150th Anniversary of Birth 2020 Proof

Štefan Banič - 150th anniversary of his birth

Exclusive silver coin issued in Slovakia by the Kremnica Mint in 2020 in top quality proof weighing 18 g is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Štefan Banič.

The reverse of the collectible euro coin features a portrait of Štefan Banič. To the right of the portrait, the denomination "10 EURO" is marked in two lines and the name and surname "ŠTEFAN BANIČ" in the description. To the left of the portrait in the description are the years of his birth and death, '1870' and '1941', separated by a graphic mark.

On the obverse of the euro coin there is a drawing of a parachute constructed by Štefan Banič from a contemporary patent document. In the left part of the coin field is the national emblem of the Slovak Republic. At the bottom edge of the coin on the left is the year '2020' in the description and on the right is the name of the state 'SLOVAKIA' in the description. Below the image of the parachute is the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint, state enterprise, which consists of the abbreviation 'MK' placed between two mints, and below it are the stylised initials of the author Mgr. Art. Petr Valach "PV".

The coin is supplied in a limited edition of only 6,450 pieces for the whole world!

Štefan Banič (23 November 1870 - 2 January 1941) - Slovak designer and inventor. In 1907 he went to America to work as a miner and stonemason in Pennsylvania. His talent for improvement was shown in engineering. In 1912, he witnessed a tragic airplane accident that prompted him to consider how to help pilots. He succeeded in designing the first usable aerial parachute based on the umbrella principle. On August 25, 1914, the Patent Office in Washington, D.C., granted him a patent - the right to manufacture, use and sell the invention in the U.S.A. - after he demonstrated his jumps. The U.S. Army bought the patented parachute, but did not introduce it into aviation equipment. The U.S. Air Force accepted Banich as an honorary member. In World War I, the French pilots of Lafayette Squadron probably also used Banich's parachute. Banich eventually returned to Czechoslovakia and worked in a quarry as a gunner. He was engaged in fruit growing and caving. In 1930 he became a co-discoverer of the Driny Cave. His career as an inventor did not continue.