Silver medal SEMAFOR Jiří Šlitr and Jiří Suchý proof

Jiří Suchý celebrates his incredible 90th birthday. A three-part miniseries of the Czech Mint's commemorative medals are dedicated not only to him but also to his most famous theater partners on that occasion. The first mintage of pure silver commemorates Jiří Šlitr.

Jiří Suchý loved art from an early age, but a major turnaround in his life took place when he saw Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich on the stage. Under the influence of the legendary duo, he began to write and take an interest in theatrical events. He became one half of the iconic pair formed with Jiří Šlitr. Both shared a love of fine arts and music - especially jazz and rock and roll - and both had a sense of clever humor. But it would be a mistake to think that they immediately fell into love. The first, and not even the second batch of texts that Suchý presented to Šlitr did not meet with success. However, both men persevered and their first joint song Hamlet was created. The harmony of the creative duo S + Š then quickly led to the founding of the Semafor Theater. The non-traditional scene, which enchanted many generations, brought a fresh wind to Czechoslovak culture - especially modern music, which was entertaining and yet refined. Unfortunately, the golden era of Semafor was ended by the untimely death of Jiří Šlitr…

The obverse side of the medal, which is the work of MgA. Martin Dašek, is dominated by the youth duo S + Š at the time of its greatest glory. The inscriptions bear the names of the artists, the dates bordering the golden era of the Semafor, as well as the names of famous works. The polished surface behind the portraits symbolizes the glow of the spotlights. The reverse side, which is common to the entire miniseries, presents the Semafor logo and two headgears that are linked with Jiří Suchý and Jiří Šlitr - a straw hat and a bowler hat.

Each medal is numbered by hand on the edge. For fans who plan to buy a complete three-part collection of Semafor medals, we are also preparing a wooden collector's box.