Posts Tagged ‘austria’

The year 1809 was an important one for Austria in her fight against Napoleon and revolutionary France. On 21st to 22nd May the emperor’s brother, Archduke Charles, became the first general ever to defeat Napoleon in open battle, and in April a folk uprising in Tyrol against its occupation by Bavarian and French troops had begun. In recognition of the anniversary, the Austrian Mint is issuing a silver 5 Euro commemorative coin on 6th May, 2009.

The nine-sided coin shows a portrait of Andreas Hofer after one of the best known depictions of the Tyrolean hero from the mid19th century. Behind him stands a determined woman holding high the flag of Tyrol. She is Giuseppina Negrelli from South Tyrol. She represents the often forgotten role played by heroic women alongside the fighting men of the resistance. The design was devised by chief engraver Thomas Pesendorfer. The second side is by Helmut Andexlinger and has the standard ring of nine provincial shields with the face value of five Euros together with the legend “REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH”.

100,000 pieces of the 5 Euro coin are available in special uncirculated quality in an informative and colourful blisterpack. Another 250,000 circulation pieces will be released at face value through the Austrian banks. The “Tyrolean Resistance Fighters” coin goes on sale on Wednesday, 6th May, 2009.

For more images of this coin visit the WNN Media library

In order to celebrate the 2009 Year of Astronomy the Austrian Mint is set to release a bi-metallic 25 Euro Silver-niobium coin on 11 March 2009.

The 34 mm coin depicts the dark side of the moon being orbited by a satellite with the sun and earth on either sides, on its reverse. The obverse in turn shows a portrait of the great mathematician, physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) and his telescope set over Galelei’s first drawings of the surface of the moon. This is surrounded by Newton’s telescope, the observatory in Kremsmünster, a modern telescope, a radio telescope and an orbiting telescope.

This beautifully designed coin is limited to a mintage of 65 000 in a high quality uncirculated condition.