Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 15. (2002)

Gyurákovics Norbert: Az érdem elismeréséül

274 The acknowledgement of merit... NORBERT GYURÁKOVICS A number of volumes about orders have appeared in print. These volumes either relate the rewarding system of a certain period, or else we can read about the development of a specific, important collection and its most treasured artefacts. Only a few authors undertake that difficult task to show as a whole the history of orders from the beginnings until the present. Because of this fact - I believe - it is time to give a short summary of these volumes for the benefit of the interested public. People had always had a wish, - and most probably this feeling will remain in the future - that their work, diligence and loyalty to be honoured. The donators, bearing in mind the motivating strength lying in rewarding, found different forms to award the worthy. There are a number of different methods to show one's respect - cash, gift, promotion etc. - but the study deals only with the appreciation rewarded by medals or orders. The reader can learn about the development of orders, the changes in the Hungarian system of rewarding (from the Middle Ages until the present), the establishment circumstances and the conditions of donation. At the end of the study, to illustrate the written material, a few interesting pieces of the historical-numismatic collection are shown.