Jozef Kroner (20 March 1924 – 12 March 1998) began his professional career in the theatre in Martin. Working there from 1948 to 1956, he learnt from the characters he portrayed to seek out their essential humanity and motivations. He soon established himself as a character actor able to do full justice to complex characters, whether conveying their private or social sides. He also excelled in playing comedic characters, with performances that exuded an infectious and sparkling humour, natural lightness, and joy of acting. His work at the Slovak National Theatre from 1956 to 1984 further enhanced the compelling and humanising power of his acting, which fully resonated in his radio, television and film work. For his portrayal of Tóno Brtko in the film The Shop on Main Street (Slovak: Obchod na korze), he received a special mention at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival (the film itself won the 1966 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film). In 1978 he was awarded the title of National Artist, and in 2018 he was posthumously awarded the Pribina Cross (First Class).
Obverse:
The obverse depicts a horizontal strip of film in reference to the film and television work of Jozef Kroner. In the middle of the design, overlying the strip’s central frame, is a representation of Tóno Brtko, the character played by Kroner in the film The Shop on Main Street (Slovak: Obchod na korze). The left side of the strip is mostly covered by a stylised comedy and tragedy mask, stage boards and a theatre curtain, referencing the fact that Kroner spent much of his professional life in the theatre. In the right-hand frame is the Slovak coat of arms and, directly above it, the year of issuance ‘2024’. Below the coat of arms are the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies, and the stylised initials ‘TL’, referring to the coin’s designer Tomáš Lamač. Inscribed in the upper part of the design is the name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’, and in the lower part are the denomination and currency ‘10 EURO’.
Reverse:
The reverse shows a portrait of Jozef Kroner and a facsimile of his signature below it. Between the signature and bottom edge is a small cartoonish image of a fish, a reference to Kroner’s passion for fishing. To the left of the portrait is the name ‘JOZEF KRONER’, forename above surname, and to the right are the dates of his birth and death, ‘1924’ and ‘1998’, one above the other.
| Designer: | Tomáš Lamač |
| Composition: | .900 silver, .100 copper |
| Weight: | 18 g |
| Diameter: | 34 mm |
| Edge: | • SLOVENSKÝ DIVADELNÝ A FILMOVÝ HEREC • SPISOVATEĽ (Slovak theatre and film actor – writer) |
| Producer: | Kremnica Mint |
| Engraver: | Dalibor Schmidt |
| Issuing volume: | 4,500 coins in brilliant uncirculated quality 10,500 coins in proof quality |
| Issuing date: | 18 March 2024 |
