Austrian Mint Announce 2009 Coin Schedule

Plenty to be excited over from this packed issuing programme!

Many of you will be interested to hear that the Austrian Mint has released their issuing schedule for 2009. Amongst the selection of expertly crafted Silver Proof, Gold Proof and Brilliant Uncirculated coinage to be released next year are a number of commemoratives from on-going coin series’, not to mention the start of an exciting brand new series of Austrian coins.

January sees the release of the Austrian 2 Euro commemorative coin – this year's release pays tribute to the 10th anniversary of Austria adopting the Euro as its official currency, replacing the Shilling on January 1, 1999. Also out in January (14th) is the first 5 Euro release for 2009. The coin is also part of the 2009 Europa Star Coin Program and commemorates the 200th Anniversary of the death of Austria's greatest musical composer, Joseph Haydn.

In February we have the next in the superbly crafted precious metal series of "Celebrated Physicians of Austria", with the release of the Theodor Billroth Gold Proof commemorative. Billroth was a German-born Austrian surgeon, widely regarded as being the father of modern abdominal surgery. He is credited with performing the first successful gastrectomy in 1881. April 26, 2009 marks the 180th anniversary of Theodor Billroth's birth.

March celebrates the "Year of Astronomy" with a brand new 25 Euro Silver/Niobium coin. This is sure to get collectors excited if the huge success of the "Fascination of Light" coin is anything to go by.

April sees the start of a new silver coin series for the Austrian Mint entitled "Tales and Legends of Austria". There will be two coins released for the series this coming year; "The Basilisk of Vienna" will be released in April with "Richard the Lionheart in Durnstein" released in October. No word yet on how long this series is planned to run for but both issues for 2009 will be available in Uncirculated, Brilliant Uncirculated and Proof quality for keen collectors of Austrian silver coins.

The annual Austrian Mint coin set for 2009 arrives in May and includes all 8 Euro of Austria (1 cent-2 Euro). The 2 Euro coin included with the set will be the commemorative issue "10 Years European Monetary Union" that was issued individually in January. Also released in May will be the special 5 Euro Silver coin commemorative paying tribute to the 200th anniversary of Tyrolean Resistance Fighters.

The ever-popular "Austrian Railways" Silver Proof coin series will come to a close in 2009 with the final two issues scheduled for the second half of 2009. "Electric Railways" will be released on June 17, while "Railway of the Future" will be available from September 9. As with each of the previous releases in this series we eagerly await the wonderfully intricate designs of these high-crafted proof coins. For anyone interested in the perfect way to display these coins the official Austrian Mint Railways Collection case is currently available at ECI. The coin holds all 6 coins in a plush blue insert but be quick, stocks of these cases are already limited and a sell-out is guaranteed once all coins in the series have been released.

Carrying on the tradition of previous years October sees the release of the 2009 Proof set. Much like the coin set in May, the proof set will feature 8 Austrian Euro coins from the 1 cent to the 2 Euro, with the 2 Euro coin being a proof version of the "10 Years European Monetary Union" commemorative issued in January.

Rounding out the year in November the Austrian Mint carry on their new Gold Proof coin series entitled "Crowns of the House of Habsburg". This series began only a week ago with the release of the "Crown of the Holy Roman Empire" gold coin, and 2009 will see the release of the "Crown of the Austrian Archduke".

All in all a fantastic line up of releases throughout 2009, with much to look forward to. As official distributor for the Austrian Mint, Euro Collections International will be offering all releases as they become available throughout the year. To get notification of items as they are released visit our homepage at http://www.eurocollections.com and sign up to the mailing list.

You can also download the issuing schedule yourself direct from the Austrian Mint website by clicking here.