The Three Kings were not just biblical sages who came to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn Messiah. In addition to Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, there are also three First Republic officers under this pseudonym, who became key figures in the anti-Nazi defiance during the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Czech Mint pays tribute to them by the issuance of the gold ducat from the National Heroes cycle.

The three-member group of the resistance organization Defense of the Nation consisted of lieutenant colonel Josef Balabán, lieutenant colonel Josef Mašín and staff captain Václav Morávek. The main task of the brave men who put down their uniforms and went underground was to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage operations. The Three Kings built a spy network that provided information of a military, political and economic nature. Even seemingly unimportant reports of what was happening on the railways or in the factories were key to the war effort in Europe. The group provoked the leaders of the Prague Gestapo with their risky operations. Among other things, it took part in the bombing in Berlin, and the assassination of Heinrich Himmler was not successful just because his train was delayed. The Three Kings did well even after the Nazis infiltrated and broke down the structures of the Czech resistence. However, Balabán was the first one caught by Gestapo and then Mašín was arrested. Both defended themselves and were injured in the shootout, both were tortured and eventually executed. Lonely Morávek continued to fight against the Nazis, but he was wounded in an attempt to free his fellow resistance fighters and preferred suicide to being caught.

"The central composition of the three portraits on the obverse side expresses the cooperation of the resistance group. The officers lean their backs on each other - the position with their faces apart symbolizes their vigilance and independence in resistance activities. At the right side next to each portrait, there is a compact text JOSEF BALABÁN EXECUTED ON 3 OCTOBER 1941, VÁCLAV MORÁVEK SHOT ON 21 MARCH 1942, JOSEF MAŠÍN EXECUTED ON 30 JUNE 1942 inscribed on an elevated background," explains academic sculptor Jiří Dostál. ,,The torn area of the reverse side reflects the situation in the protectorate during the Nazi occupation. A badge made of Czechoslovak officer's cap with state symbols and crossed swords is inserted into the diagonally striped belt between the words DEFENSE OF THE NATION. Horizontally across the surface, there is a plastically indistinct inscription THREE KINGS, which recalls the secret resistance activities. The three protruding segments with the points of the swords, taken from the badge of the officer's cap, symbolize the halos of the Three Kings, " adds the author of the ducat.

A spectacular packaging in the form of a book, which contains a treatise written by the historian PhDr. Petr Koura, Ph.D., builds an integral part of the ducat. Remember that you can store your collection of National Heroes in a practical collector's box.