HomeWorld CoinsAustria 2016 Piece by Piece: Austria 10 Euro Commemorative Coin

Austria 2016 Piece by Piece: Austria 10 Euro Commemorative Coin

2016austria10

Description:

The 2016 10 Euro Austria coin completes a 10-piece commemorative series honoring the nine federal Austrian states plus the entire nation of Austria. The preceding nine coins in the series commemorate each of the nine states, and this tenth coin honors all of the parts as one – the unified nation of Austria. The Austria Bundesländer series, or Piece-by-Piece series, began in 2012 and includes silver and copper coins bearing common designs for each of the 10 issues. The coins were designed by young Austrian schoolchildren, and each issue features a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

The nine previous coins in the series honor the old town of Graz and Eggenberg Castle in the state of Styria, the historic falconry practice in Carinthia, the wine vineyards of Lower Austria, Bodensee lake and traditional Radhaube hats in Vorarlberg, the historic Old Town in Salzburg, the Telfer Schleicherlaufen parade in Tirol, the historic town center of Vienna, Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, and the salt deposits of Upper Austria.

The obverse of the tenth issue, the 2016 Austria 10 Euro coin, features a collage emblematic of the Austrians and cultural icons that helped win Austria the world’s esteem. The reverse depicts an Alpine scene encircled by 10 children linking hands. The design was one of 4,000 submitted in a nationwide contest to determine the final design of the Piece by Piece series. The 2016 Austria 10 Euro commemorative is available as proof and uncirculated 92.5 percent sterling silver coins, as well as an uncirculated copper coin.

Obverse:

On the obverse of the Austria 10 Euro coin is a collage motif by Austrian Mint engraver Thomas Pesendorfer. His design showcases five primary elements that are each culturally symbolic of Austria. At the upper-right of the design is Kaiser Franz Joseph I, who was emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia from 1848 until his passing in 1916. At the bottom right of the design is a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at his piano, likely playing one of the 600 works he composed in the late 18th century.

Near the bottom center of the obverse are the figures of a young mother and child from Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s 1905 painting The Three Ages of Woman. On the left side of the coin is the figure of an anonymous skier, just one of the countless winter sports enthusiasts who enjoy Austria’s Alpine terrain. In the background of the collage scene is the Grossglockner, the tallest mountain in Austria, which majestically rises 12,461 feet tall.; ]

The inscription REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH, or Republic of Austria, sprawls along the upper left segment of the coin along the rim. At the bottom left of the coin in three horizontal lines are the denomination, 10 EURO, and the coin’s date, 2016.

Reverse:

2016austria10aThe reverse of the Austria 10 Euro coin is a collaborative effort from the children of Dr. Franz Jonas Elementary School, who designed separate components of an Alpine landscape seen as a single cameo design element on the coin. The Alpine scene includes a boat floating in the middle of a mountainside lake, parks, and a heart, with the inscription Österreich, or “Austria” as translated in English, at the bottom center of the cameo device.

Around the central circular design feature are 10 smiling children. They appear as fancifully cartoonish figures, holding hands as a symbolic gesture to both the separate regions of Austria and the 10 coins of the Piece by Piece coin series, now unified with the issuance of this coin as a cohesive whole.

Designer(s): Retired Austrian Mint designer Thomas Pesendorfer’s coin designs capture the spirit and culture of Austria (View Designer’s Profile).

Coin Specifications:

Country:  Austria
Year Of Issue:  2016
Denomination:  10 Euro
Mint Mark:
Mintage:  Silver: 40,000 (Special Unc.), 30,000 (Proof); Copper: 130,000 (Unc.)
Alloy:  .925 Silver; .999 Copper
Weight:  Silver: 17.3 g; Copper: 15 g
Diameter:  32 mm
Edge:  Silver: Smooth; Copper: Rilled
OBV Designer  Thomas Pesendorfer
REV Designer  children of Dr. Franz Jonas Elementary School / Thomas Pesendorfer
Quality:  Silver: Special Uncirculated, Proof; Copper: Uncirculated

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CoinWeek IQ
CoinWeek IQ
With CoinWeek IQ, the editors and writers of CoinWeek dig deeper than the usual numismatic article. CoinWeek IQ provides collectors and numismatists with in-depth information, pedigree histories, and market analysis of U.S. coins and currency.

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