100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF JANOS HARSANYI (HUNGARIAN MINT)
Harsányi János Károly; May 29, 1920 – August 9, 2000) was a Hungarian-American Nobel Prize laureate economist, born in 1920 and best known for his contributions in the field of ‘game theory’ and how it applies to economics. Game theory is used to study logical decision making in humans, animals, and computers, using mathematics, with applications in all fields of social science. You can bet that your life has been steered by some application of the theory many times. Harsányi was awarded the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, along with John Nash and Reinhard Selten.
A fraction over an ounce at 31.46 grams, this sterling silver (0.925) coin is 38.61 mm in diameter and struck to a proof standard. The obverse has a triangular staircase dropping down into infinity, while a simple ladder reaches down, seemingly cutting through the complexity in the simplest possible way. A clever depiction. The reverse face features a stylised sculpted portrait of the man himself – a particularly well done one in our view.
All told, a nice numismatic celebration of the man and his esoteric work. The coin has a mintage of 5,000 pieces and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, although a small box is an optional extra. The coin sells for a very reasonable €28.50, with the box an extra €3.50 is you want it. Quite a niche coin, of course, but a good example of the genre.
LINKS: HUNGARIAN MINT PAGE
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