Austrian Mint Unveils "Lower Austria" Silver Coin As Part Of "Austria By It's Children" Series

May 15, 2013 - The Austrian Mint has issued the third silver coin in its delightful series “Austria, by its Children.” The new coin features the province of Lower Austria.


Austria 2013 10€ Lower Austria Silver Coin

This coin series celebrates what Austrian children are excited by, and proud to speak about, when they speak of their home. The coin features a UNESCO world heritage site located in the home province of the child from which the design was selected. The series features all 9 provinces and a tenth coin as the finale, which will celebrate Austria as a nation.

The reverse of the coin was designed by ten-year old Christian Kopf of the village of Ertl, in lower Austria, and was engraved by the Mint’s chief engraver Thomas Pesendorfer. Christian’s clever design depicts the four regions of Austria’s largest province and their respective economic contributors, in a clock-wise order from the upper left: woodland, vineyards, business/industry and orchards. The chief engraver enjoyed working with Christian to translate his design into a three dimensional coin work-of-art. Together they decided that the snow capped mountains depicted in the economic quarter would be engraved with a bit more texture and topped off with fluffy white clouds to highlight the snow there. Also the chain saw in the woodland area was made a bit larger in proportion for the coin engraving.

The obverse of the coin was designed by Mint engraver Helmut Andexlinger and features: a river ferry sailing past the monastery of Melk, the ancient town gate of Krems and the baroque church at Dürnstein, the village where King Richard the Lionheart was famously held captive in 1193. This side of each coin also features the country of issue, “Republik Oesterreich” Republic of Austria, the year of issue 2013, the face value of 10 euros and the name of the region, in this case an area around the Danube, the Wachau, a very famous part of Lower Austria. This commemorative coin is legal tender in Austria.

Lower Austria is perhaps better known to the world as the province in which the Wachau is located. Famous for the picturesque villages with winding cobblestone streets, gently rolling green fields, over which lush vineyards roll, and the many Monasteries and fortresses that stand guard over the Danube river. However, as Christian has captured so well in his coin this province is a major economic contributor to the Austrian economy. It is Austria’s largest province and it surrounds the capital of Vienna. The region has been an economic powerhouse since ancient times. The Celts, Romans and the centuries since have all had successful settlements and industries here. Today the region is well known for its exclusive wines, major apricot crops, and tourism while at the same time most major Austrian industrial contributors as well as research organizations are located here. Largely because of the Danube River which through history has been the key link to the success of Lower Austria and the centuries of growth and diversification.

The silver Lower Austria coin is legal tender and will be available in two finishes, Proof and Brilliant Uncirculated, with a maximum mintage of 30,000 and 40,000 respectively. The proof coins come encapsulated in a presentation case with a numbered certificate of authenticity. The certificate includes all the technical details as well as background information about the series. The brilliant uncirculated coins are available in a blister pack with Lower Austria themed design on the sleeve.

Expected Product Delivery Dates - Week Ending May 17, 2013

A list of delivery dates scheduled for ECI products that have been offered or are offered currently on our website.

Item	Description	ETA
AU593	Palau 2013 $2 Butterfly 1/2oz Silver Proof	14.06.13
AU740	Austria 2013 10€ Lower Austria Silver BU	15.05.13
AU741	Austria 2013 10€ Lower Austria Silver Proof	15.05.13
AN094	Australia 2008 Mint Set	17.05.13
AU386	Austria 2013 25€ Tunneling Silver & Niobium BU	17.05.13
AU470	Austria 2013 20€ Stefan Zweig Silver Proof	17.05.13
AU649	France 2013 10€ Notre Dame Silver Proof	17.05.13
AU728	Australia 2013 50c Rainbow Lorikeet 1/2oz Silver Proof	17.05.13
AU352	Great Britain 2013 Premium Proof Set	21.06.13
AU588	Palau 2013 $10 Tiffany Art Venetian Gothic 2oz Silver BU	22.05.13
AU589	Mongolia 2013 Mongolian Nature - Crying Wolf 1/2oz Silver BU	22.05.13
AU793	Niue 2013 $1 Scooby Doo Silver Proof	22.05.13
AS000	Australia 2011 20c Australia Remembers - War Historians UNC	24.05.13
AT761	Australia 2012 50c Bush Babies II Kookaburra 1/2oz Silver Proof	24.05.13
AU670	Tuvalu 2013 $1 Mythical Creatures Unicorn 1oz Silver Proof	24.05.13
AU727	Australia 2013 $25 Sovereign Gold Proof	24.05.13
AU730	Australia 2013 $1 Treasures Of The World - Garnet Silver Proof	24.05.13
AU672	Andorra 2013 Andorra-Shaped Eagle 1oz Silver Proof	31.05.13
AU549	Andorra 2013 da Vinci Virgin Of The Rocks Kilo Silver Proof	31.05.13
AU605	Australia 2013 $5 Parliament House Triangular Silver Proof	31.05.13
AU698	Australia 2013 $1 & 20c 100th Anniv. Of First Banknote PNC	31.05.13

Perth Mint Announces Recent Sell-outs

The Perth Mint have just announced the following list of their products are now SOLD OUT!




•    2013 Year of the Snake 1oz Silver Proof High Relief Coin
•    2013 Perth ANDA Special: Year of the Snake 2oz Silver Coloured Coin
•    2013 200th Anniversary of the Australian Holey Dollar & Dump 1oz Silver Proof Set
•    2013 Australian Koala 5oz Silver Proof High Relief Coin
•    2013 Australian Opal Series – Kangaroo 1oz Silver Proof Coin (Sold Out at ECI)

With the following items close to selling out.

•    2013 Baby Snake 1/2oz Silver Proof Coin
•    2013 Forever Love 1/2oz Silver Proof Coin
•    2013 Australia Map Shaped Series – Kangaroo 1oz Silver Coloured Coin

All the above linked products are still available on the ECI website but are selling fast and we expect greater demand now that the Mint stocks are exhausted.

Austrian Mint Release First Silver Coin in New "Prehistoric Life" series, Which Also Includes Free App Technology

April 17, 2013 - The Austrian Mint has started an exciting new five-coin series on Prehistoric Life, featuring the dinosaurs and early life in the water, on land, and in the air of middle western Europe from the Triassic to the Quaternary period.


Austria 2013 20€ Prehistoric Life - Triassic Silver Proof

This first coin in the series features the Triassic period. The main focal point of the obverse is a live interpretation of an extinct type of a cephalopod, looking somewhat like a nautilus shell, with its front tentacle-like appendages extending beneath the face value of 20 euros. The cephalopod is also featured in a fossilized form (located in the History museum in Vienna) just a bit lower and to the left of the live interpretation. The line going across the lower third of the coin’s design field is a time line that highlights the Triassic (Trias) period of 250 to 200 million years ago. This line will continue on through each of the next four prehistoric periods and coins featured in this series.

The obverse also includes the country of issue, “Republik Oesterreich, the year of issue 2012 and the face value of 20 euros. This side of the coin was designed by Mint engraver Helmut Andexlinger.

The reverse side of the coin was designed and engraved by fellow mint engraver Herbert Waehner. An ichthyosaurus (looking somewhat like a modern-day dolphin) is depicted in the upper half of this side. In its long and narrow jaws is an ammonite. Below the ichthyosaurus swims a nothosauras. Both animals lived in the seas during the middle and upper Triassic period in what would today be the Mediterranean Sea. The depth perception of the coin is cleverly enhanced by the engraver who integrated a great variety of flora that seem to be moving in the water around these two creatures.

Life around 250 million years ago already consisted of land plants and reptiles. The former evolved in the Silurian period over 400 million years ago. The latter evolved towards the end of the carboniferous period about 290 million years ago, from the amphibians, which migrated from water to land at the end of the Devonian period about 360 million years ago. The carboniferous period is of course the key period from which all the rich coal deposits where produced from which we still benefit today.

By the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago, reptiles had taken over on land. Ninety percent of the flora and fauna on earth disappeared probably because of some catastrophic event causing climate change. The lack of plants meant that the temperature swings were great and reptiles with their hard outer shells could withstand these extremes.

The Triassic period of 250 to 200 million years ago was the period of great change when the dinosaurs first appeared. The super continent of Pangea had formed during this time and by the end of the Triassic period it broke apart into two, Laurasia in the north and Gondwana land in the south.

The Triassic period was rich with sea life and numerous types of shell-like animals such as the ammonite inhabited the waters. Giant reptiles such as the ichthyosaurus and nothosauras appeared in the water. The waters were filled with phytoplankton, the first or lowest part of the food chain, which also still exists today. Corals began to grow during the Triassic period. On land basic insects such as spiders, millipeds, centipodes and grasshoppers developed. Ferns, moss, palms and coniferous trees grew on land. Towards the end of the Triassic period the first dinosaurs and furry animals appeared, such as the kangaroo-like prosauropods and shrew-like megazostrodons. The Triassic period ended with another catastrophic event perhaps a meteor, asteroid collision, or volcanic eruption and much of life was destroyed.

The new coin is available in proof finish-only, contains 18 grams of silver, and is 900 fine, weighs 20 grams, with a diameter is 34 mm. The coin is encapsulated and comes with a certificate of authenticity and packed a protective case, with a sleeve. The maximum mintage for each coin of this series is 50,000.

Exciting new packaging will accompany this coin. An elegant black collector case, in which all the individual coin certificates can also be housed, may be purchased separately. In addition it will be accompanied by a folder with thorough scientific background on the series. As well an exciting new app developed together with the Natural History Museum of Vienna, will be available as of April. Simply download it for free to your smart phone or tablet. For more information Click Here

Austrian Mint Releases New Silver Coin Honouring Stefan Zweig

March 20, 2013 – The 2013 Europa star silver coin series celebrates “European Authors” and the Austrian Mint is honoring the humanist and pacifist Stefan Zweig in a beautifully detailed silver coin.


Austria 2013 20€ Stefan Zweig Silver Proof

Mint engraver Helmut Andexlinger designed the coin. On the obverse he created an excellent depiction of the soft-spoken humanist, Stefan Zweig. Zweig is holding one of his books while his kind eyes look out directly towards you. Behind his book is a typewriter, above which is located the face value of 20 euros. Zweig's signature is found in the foreground of the design. The obverse side of the coin also bears the “Europa Star” privy mark of the European silver program, as well as the country of issue “Republik Oesterreich”, Republic of Austria.

The reverse features one of his most famous works, “The Royal Game”, also known as Chess or “Schachnovelle.” Helmut has included on this side of the coin some of the key thematic elements of this work including in the center the bow of a large ocean-going steam ship on which the name “Schachnovelle” is captured, as well as the image of the protagonist. It is on the ocean vessel that the chess game between the world champion and other passengers takes place. Stefan Zweig is seen on the reverse looking at the chessboard, symbol of the challenges confronting the protagonist who sees his two personas in the white and black chess pieces. The mental anguish which this causes forces the protagonist into a mental health institute noted by the figure in stripes, peering out of the window equipped with large heavy bars.

Zweig was born in Vienna in 1881 to a wealthy textile family. His writings were very prominent in the 1920’s and 30’s. He socialized in circles that included other luminaries such as Sigmund Freud and Richard Strauss. He was a pacifist who refused to bear arms for his country. When Hitler advanced through Europe he moved from England to the USA and finally to Brazil, where he died of a drug overdose.

His writings had a global following and were quite popular in the USA as well.

Zweig's family background led him to see himself as a European. His successful father headed his Jewish family. His mother was born in Italy and had various additional connections to what was then Czechoslovakia. The family was well travelled throughout Europe and he broadened his horizons with travel to North and South America, as well as Asia and Africa. Given that he was a European with a global view. Zweig is most definitely an ideal author to be selected for the Europa series.

The Stefan Zweig coin is 900 fine silver, has a face value of 20 euros, legal tender in Austria, contains 18 grams of pure silver and has a diameter of 34 mm. The maximum mintage of this proof coin is 50,000 pieces. Each coin is encapsulated and comes in box with a sleeve and an individually numbered certificate of authenticity.

Austria Release Second Issue in "Klimt and His Women" Gold Coin Series

February 27, 2013 - The Austrian Mint has issued the second coin in its five gold coin series celebrating Gustav Klimt, a key painter of the art nouveau period whose art is easily recognized and admired around the world.


Austria 2013 50€ Klimt & His Women – The Expectation Gold Proof

The obverse, featuring the “Tree of Life” from the Stoclet frieze, is framed by a square of the artist’s canvas, and was conceptualized by the mint’s chief engraver, Thomas Pesendorfer. The tree is made up of many fine swirls and mosaic-like pieces commonly found in the art of Klimt. To the right of the Tree of Life symbolizing The Eye of Horus, and interpreted by Klimt in the form of the falcon, a symbol of power of the Egyptian Pharos. Also on this side appears the country of issue, “Republik Oesterreich” or Republic of Austria, the face value of 50 euros, and the year of issue, 2013.

The reverse features a portion of the frieze showing the head of a woman anxiously looking to the right, which is known as “Expectation.” The scarf on her head has a very intricate pattern of geometric square-like shapes. Her hand is held in a pose found commonly in Egyptian paintings. Her wrist has a beautifully intricate armband, while more jewels and geometric shapes and swirls can be seen in her clothing. The reverse of the coin was conceived and engraved by mint engraver Herbert Waehner.

The Stoclet frieze was a special commission that Gustav Klimt received from a wealthy industrialist of Brussels, Belgium, Adolphe Stoclet. Stoclet was an avid art collector who commissioned the architect Josef Hoffman (also world famous because of his key role in the art nouveau movement of Vienna, along with Klimt.) Klimt was commissioned to create a masterpiece in the dining room. The wealth and appreciation of the art nouveau movement by Stoclet meant that no boundaries were placed on the art nor on the budget of this now world heritage site, The Stoclet House in Brussels. Hence for the artists “The Stoclet House”, (which also includes works by yet another secessionist of Vienna Koloman Moser) were able to produce the most complete work or “Gesamtwerk” of the Vienna Secessionist or Art Nouveau period.

Klimt completed two intricate paintings on the dining room walls, one of which was the well-known “Expectation” featured on this gold coin. The “Expectation” is that of the young lady, who is a dancer, anxiously looking to the right, and yearning for love. (Another part of the frieze completes the search for love depicting a young couple embracing, and therefore is known as “Fulfillment.”) Klimt stated publically that the Stoclet frieze was his ultimate decorative work.

Gustav Klimt was inspired by many cultures of history. Certainly Byzantine mosaics greatly inspired Klimt and hence appear in many of his works. As well, forms and shapes from very early times such as ancient Egypt, right up to more recent periods of his life all influenced his art during his life.

The very complex and meaningful “Tree of Life” is symbolic of our roots deep in the ground, stretching up to the sky and the heavens. The Klimt “Tree of Life” bears both flowers and fruit and thereby symbolically includes both women and men, on their own, as well as together – bearing fruit. Hence the “Expectation” symbolizes the search for love. Scholars have for many years studied the Klimt tree to try and learn all of its secrets which are so pertinent to many cultures and religions.

The gold coins of this series illustrate the importance of women in Gustav Klimt’s artistic life. The coins present his work in a manner similar to an exhibition. Each of the coins will have another letter of his name K-L-I-M-T worked into the design – so that once the series is complete his last name will become part of the signature of the 5 coin series.

2012 AdeleBloch Bauer: letter K
2013 “Expectation”: letter L
2014 “Judith II”: Letter I
2015 Hygieia from the “Faculty Paintings” of the University of Vienna: letter M
2016 “The Kiss”: letter T

The new coin is struck in 986 fine gold to a maximum mintage of 30,000 pieces in proof quality only. The diameter of the coin is 22mm and it contains 10 grams of fine gold. Each coin is packed in an attractive box with a numbered certificate of authenticity, which provides detailed background and technical information about the quality and design of the coin. A beautiful wooden collection case for the whole series, “Klimt and his Women”, may be purchased separately. It contains a booklet explaining the whole series.

Introducing the 2013 $50 Fortuna Redux Cylindrical 6oz Silver Coin!

February 27, 2013 - A world first in numismatics, the Mint of Poland have just released the 2013 $50 Fortuna Redux - Mercury 6oz Cylindrical Silver Coin. Struck from a massive 6 ounces of 99.9% fine silver and featuring the unique "third side" of the coin - the cylindrical shape, which boasts a tube of 22mm (some 70% of the coin's 32mm diameter) - as beautifully struck in the highest Proof quality as the obverse and reverse designs!

Have a look at this video, released by ACSYS Lasertechnik, the company who, in conjunction with Mennica Polska, helped overcome the challenges of creating a coin with 3 sides by using laser technology together with traditional minting techniques.



On the obverse is an image of the Roman God, Mercury, with an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the face value: 50 DOLLARS. In the background is a map of the world with elements symbolized travel. Along the rim is the the inscriptions: "2013" (the year of the issue), "NIUE ISLAND" (the issuer) and "Ag 999" (the alloy).

The reverse features an image of a gold coin (selectively gold-plated) with the effigy of Mercury, while in the background is a map of the galaxy.

The "Third Side" of the coin carries of image of Mercury's winged legs, with a map in the background to symbolise travelling.


Niue 2013 $50 Fortuna Redux - Mercury 6oz Cylindrical Silver Proof

Each of these silver coins are sealed in a specially crafted cylindrical capsule and presented within a superbly designed, official Fortuna Redux display case and outer black box.