Austrian Mint

Austrian Mint

The Austrian Mint has a history dating back over 800 years. Today, they’re home to one of the most popular coin programs on the market, the Austrian Philharmonic, which is available in 3 different metal types. The Austrian Mint creates bullion coinage, circulation coins, medals, and more. Learn more about the Austrian Mint right here at BGASC.

Austrian Mint Background

The roots of the Austrian Mint date back to 1194 in an interesting story. Richard the Lionheart was captured on his way back from the Crusades and thus sentenced to a year of incarceration for issuing an insult to Duke Leopold V of Austria. Richard the Lionheart paid 12 tons of silver to the Duke for his freedom. The Duke then used this silver to start striking coins. However, it would be another 200 years before the Vienna Mint was mentioned in records.

Over the years and centuries, many mints sprang up throughout Austria. After the Republic of Austria was formed, the Vienna Principal Mint became the sole mint in 1919 and began issuing the Austrian Schilling in 1925. In 1989, the name was changed to the Austrian Mint after becoming a subsidiary of the National Bank of Austria.

Austrian Philharmonic

The Austrian Mint is well-known for its Austrian Philharmonic Series. The Austrian Gold Philharmonic Series was introduced in 1989, releasing coins in 1 oz and 1/4 oz weights. A 1/10 oz coin was debuted in 1991, followed by a 1/2 oz coin in 1994, and a 1/25 oz coin in 2014. Three years after its initial debut, the Gold Philharmonic became the world’s bestselling investment coin.

The success of the gold coin led to a silver coin debuting in 2008. Silver coins are just issued in a 1 oz size though. Platinum coins were introduced in 2016 and are issued in 2 distinct sizes – 1 oz and 1/25 oz.

The design of these coins remains the same across all 3 metals and all the unique sizes. Chief Engraver of the Austrian Mint, Thomas Pesendorfer, created the designs for both the obverse and the reverse. The obverse shows the Musikverein pipe organ which is found inside the Golden Hall. The reverse features a collection of musical instruments played by the famous Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. This includes a large cello, two violins, a harp, a horn, and a bassoon.

Over the years, many unique versions of the Philharmonic have been issued. Colorized silver coins as well as gilded silver coins have been released over the years. In terms of gold coinage, the Austrian Mint issued a “Big Phil” in 2004. This coin was nearly 70 pounds and had 1,000 Troy oz of gold content. They also released a 20 oz gold coin for the 20th anniversary of the coin program.

Questions about the Austrian Mint

Call the BGASC customer service team at 888-992-4272 with any questions about the Austrian Mint. We can be easily contacted via email or through our online chat feature as well.