CoinWeek Staff Reports….
The Austrian Mint scored three category victories in Krause Publications’ 2015 Coin of the Year Awards. Since 1984, Krause has recognized excellence in coin design with its annual awards. This year’s competition was especially tough, with many high-quality collectible coins in contention.
Austria’s three category winners are as follows:
Best Gold Coin
Austria’s 50 euro Gold Coin (“The Expectation”), a celebration of Austrian Jugendstil and the art of Gustav Klimt won Best Gold Coin. The coin is part of the Austrian Mint’s Klimt series, entitled “Klimt Und Seine Frauen” (Klimt and His Women).
The 22.00 mm proof coin weighs 10.14 grams and is made of .986 fine gold. The coin’s design was executed by Austrian Mint Chief Engraver Thomas Pesendorfer and Mag. Helmut Andexlinger.
The coin can be purchased at the Austrian Mint website at a cost of € 510.00 (about US$641), tax included.
Best Bi-Metallic Coin
Austria’s innovate 25 euro silver- niobium coin (“Tunnel Construction”) celebrates Austria’s long and storied history as a world leader in tunnel design and engineering. It features an Austrian tunnel boring machine on the obverse and a view of the tunnels of the famed Semmering railway on the reverse.
Austria’s Silver Niobium Series is a collector favorite, delivering a high level of technical and artistic beauty since its introduction in 2003.
The 34.00 mm bi-metallic coin weighs 16.5 grams and is made of a .900 fine silver outer ring and a 0.998 fine niobium center. Total fine weight is 9 grams. “Tunnel Construction” is the work of Austrian Mint designer Herbert Wähner.
The coin can be purchased at the Austrian Mint website at a cost of € 56.30 (about US$71), tax included.
Most Artistic Coin
Capturing the excitement and beauty of nature, the Austrian Mint’s 100 euro coin (“The Red Deer”) took home Krause’s Coin of the Year “Most Artistic” Award.
The coin features an innovative design by Thomas Pesendorfer and Mag. Helmut Andexlinger that combines realism with Jugenstil ornamentation.
This 16 gram, 0.986 fine gold coin is part of Austria’s beautiful “Unseren Wildtieren auf der Spur” (Wildlife in Our Sights) Series.
The coin can be purchased at the Austrian Mint website at a cost of € 645 (about US$810), tax included.
I’m stating the obvious here but those are some beautiful coins.