W030
.700 Silver, AU
34 mm (1-9/16”), 12 grams
HISTORY: This coin was produced for only two years. There were 2,280,000 minted in 1933 and 3,280,000 in 1934.
OBVERSE: “REPUBLIKA CESKOSLOVENSKA” and “1933” encircle the middle coat of arms of Czechoslovakia. This coat of arms (and there were many throughout the years) was used between 1920 and 1939.
REVERSE: The reverse design is signed “JH.” Jaroslav Horejc (1886–1983) was an important sculptor of the Art Deco period. He studied at the Prague School of Art where he realized his unique talent and later became a professor. Horejc’s deco design for this coin illustrates (from L-R) Industry (man with sledgehammer on his shoulder), Agriculture (farmer with plow behind), and Commerce (a nude Mercury cradling a caduceus in his left arm). Mercury, among his many other attributes, is also the god of commerce and science. The three men are holding hands in unity. This 20 koruna coin shows “20” on the left and “Kč” on the right. A koruna is one Czech crown. A modern example of Horejc’s deco style is seen in his statue of Amphitrite (below). Notice the almost identical legs and feet of Mercury and Amphitrite, sculpted almost 30 years apart.
