Hungary – FIFA World Cup / World Football Championship 1982 1981 Silver 500 Forint 40mm (27.91 grams) 0.640 Silver (0.5761 oz. ASW) Reference: KM# 624, ÉH# 1602 MAGYAR NEPKOZTARSASAG 500 FORINT BP. 1981, Soccer / football player juggling ball. 1982 LABDARUGO VILAGBAJNOKSAG, Football / soccer field with ball and Spanish flag logo superimposed atop.
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The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3-1 in the final, held in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Spanish capital of Madrid. It was Italy’s third World Cup title, but their first since 1938. The defending champions, Argentina, were eliminated in the second group round. Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait and New Zealand made their first appearances in the finals.
The tournament featured the first penalty shoot-out in World Cup competition. This was the last World Cup to feature two rounds of group stages. It was also the third time (after 1934 and 1966) in which all four semi-finalists were European.
In the first round of Group 3, Hungary defeated El Salvador 10-1, equalling the largest margin of victory recorded in the finals (Hungary over South Korea 9-0 in 1954, and Yugoslavia over Zaire 9-0 in 1974).
Hungary is a sovereign state in Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast. The country’s capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.
Following centuries of successive habitation by Celts, Romans, Huns, Slavs, Gepids, and Avars, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian grand prince Árpád in the Honfoglalás (“homeland-conquest”). His great-grandson Stephen I ascended to the throne in 1000 CE, converting the country to a Christian kingdom. By the 12th century, Hungary became a middle power within the Western world, reaching a golden age by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 and about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541-1699), Hungary came under Habsburg rule, and later formed a significant part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867-1918).
Hungary’s current borders were first established by the Treaty of Trianon (1920) after World War I, when the country lost 71% of its territory, 58% of its population, and 32% of ethnic Hungarians. Following the interwar period, Hungary joined the Axis Powers in World War II, suffering significant damage and casualties. Hungary came under the influence of the Soviet Union, which contributed to the establishment of a four-decade-long communist dictatorship (1947-1989). The country gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the seminal opening of its previously-restricted border with Austria in 1989, which accelerated the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
On 23 October 1989, Hungary again became a democratic parliamentary republic, and today has a high-income economy with a very high Human Development Index. Hungary is a popular tourist destination attracting 10.675 million tourists a year (2013). It is home to the largest thermal water cave system and the second-largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest natural grasslands in Europe (the Hortobágy National Park).
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