Count Miklós József Esterházy was born on April 7, 1746 in Vienna, and was one of the prominent members of the most powerful and wealthy Hungarian noble family, the Esterházy family. His parents were Prince Miklós "Fényes" Esterházy and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Liechtenstein. His father, Prince Miklós, was one of the most influential and luxurious aristocrats of his time, who held court in the castle of Eszterházy, also called the Hungarian Versailles, and supported the composer Joseph Haydn. Miklós József received an excellent education that met the expectations of the aristocratic youth of the time. He pursued detailed studies and spoke several languages. He traveled throughout Europe in his youth, which contributed to the development of his broad outlook and enlightened way of thinking. During his travels abroad, he became acquainted with the ideas of the Enlightenment, which profoundly influenced his later life and activities. Like his father, József Miklós Esterházy played a significant role in the court and public life of the Habsburg Empire. Although he never achieved the rank of duke of his father, he also had considerable influence as a count. He participated in the Bratislava Diet and held numerous public offices. He also played an important role in the social life of the time, where he stood out for his elegance and culture. Following the traditions of the Esterházy family, József Miklós was also a great patron of the arts. He passionately collected art treasures, especially paintings and engravings. He also had a significant library, which contained many key works of Enlightenment literature. Although he did not achieve the dedication of his father to Haydn in his musical patronage, he supported artists and contributed to the development of culture. In 1779, Count József Miklós Esterházy married Princess Maria Johanna of Liechtenstein, who also came from a distinguished aristocratic family. Their marriage produced several children who carried on the name and traditions of the Esterházy family. Count Miklós József died in Vienna on 10 August 1802, at the age of 56. His death marked the end of an era in which noble families played a prominent role not only in political life, but also in supporting culture and the arts. With his life and work, Miklós József Esterházy contributed to the spread of the ideas of the 18th-century Enlightenment and to the cultural development of the Habsburg Empire. Although less well known than Prince Miklós "the Bright", he was a significant and respected figure in his time.

During the period of the Austrian count Miklós József (1746–1802), the Austro-Hungarian forint coins created special and interesting versions. During the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, when the two parts of the crown, Austria and Hungary, were united, unique solutions were used during the coinage. The denomination of the Austro-Hungarian coins was indicated in both francs and forints, although the face value of the forint was not binding. The nominal gold content of the gold-based currency was 0.72858 grams per forint, while the legal silver currency contained 11.111 grams of silver per forint. The gold-silver ratio was nominally fixed at 1:15.3, which set the value of silver 1.25% more strongly against gold than the bullion standard, which used a ratio of 1:15.5. These coins were unique, and the They adapted to the economic and financial changes of the monarchy. The successful transition to the gold base came with the introduction of the crown money system and the abolition of the alphabetic imperial mint mark introduced in 1766. And the coins of the Austro-Hungarian crown began to be minted in 1892, in various denominations, including gold ten and twenty crowns. These coins were not only financial instruments, but also historical and cultural monuments, reflecting the rich past of the Monarchy.