The ninth coin in the Austrian Federal Provinces Series is Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) and has just been released in three variants by the Austrian Mint.
Austria 2016 Oberoesterreich Silver 10 Euro Coin
The series which began in 2012, and sometimes also called the Austria Piece-by-Piece series, will conclude later this year with a tenth coin which celebrates Austria as a whole. Each coin is meant to celebrate a different province of Austria.
The reverse of each coin features a design chosen through a national competition that was held, where school children were able to submit coin designs. They were asked to illustrate what their province or homeland means to them, what makes it unique. The idea was to gain a picture of Austria from the perspective of it's children. More information about this competition can be obtained from the official site here: http://www.meinemuenze.at/
These designs are in turn complemented on the obverse by a professionally designed depiction of a UNESCO World Heritage site or an illustration of “intangible” cultural heritage such as local traditions from each province.
Austria 2016 Oberoesterreich Silver 10 Euro Coin Obverse
Oberösterreich(Upper Austria) is located in the central-northern part of Austria, bordering both Germany and the Czech Republic. The province is the country’s fourth-largest by land mass and boasts the third largest population.
The reverse design features the church on Pöstlinberg Hill in Linz next to Lake Traunsee with Mount Traunstein towering in the background. In the foreground there is also a depiction of the spectacular Glöcklerlauf festival, held every year on the 5th of January. The annual race was declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010. The design was submitted by one Klara Baumgartner from Dachseberg High School.
The obverse features the lakeside town of Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The legend reads : “REPUBLIK öSTERREICH” “10 EURO” “HALLSTATT” AND “2016”.
Austria 2016 Oberoesterreich Copper 10 Euro Coin Obverse
The 10 Euro collectors coin is available in a 1/2oz proof silver(.925 fineness) and a special uncirculated silver types. The proof silver coin is released in a special velvet lined presentation box, and will have a mintage of 30 000 coins.
The special uncirculated coin is released in a printed blister pack with a mintage of 40 000.
The third type is a 15 gram(the silver coins weigh 17.3 grams or 16gram fine weight) uncirculated copper variant of .999 Fineness copper. All variants are 32mm in diameter
At the time of writing pricing for the coins were set at € 39.60 for the proof coin, € 32.40 for the special uncirculated and € 10.00 for the copper uncirculated.
All images courtesy of the Austrian Mint
Previous Issues from this Series
