Austria 2017 Miracle of Life: Spring Lamb 5 Euro Silver Coin

Description:

On Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, an event pivotal to His mission of salvation. Because of this, Easter is perhaps the holiest of days in the Christian calendar.

Historically, many countries and mints around the world–especially those with cultures steeped in Christian tradition–have issued special coins to honor the holiday. For Easter 2016, the Austrian Mint issued a 5 euro silver coin featuring Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer’s famous painting Jungen Feldhase (“Young Field Hare”, 1502).

This year the Mint has produced silver and copper Easter coins featuring a lamb, which is not only a symbol of innocence and rebirth, but also one of the most venerable and resonant symbols of Christianity. Jesus was both a shepherd to his flock and the “Passover lamb” that was sacrificed.

Obverse:

The coin features the standard obverse for all Austrian 5-euro coins. Engraved by Helmut Andexlinger, nine shields (representing the nine federal provinces of the Republic of Austria) surround a large numeral “5” that sits at the center of the coin. The top of each shield is parallel to one of the sides of the nine-sided coin, and arcs that trace the curved sides of each shield interlock to form something like a nine-pointed sunburst. The inscription REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH encircles the majority of the coin while the word EURO is found anchored at the bottom. A stylish sans-serif font is used for the lettering.

Reverse:

In the foreground of the reverse is a naturalistic looking lamb lying down amongst flowers and meadow grass. Above it is a rendering of a relief sculpture found on the stonework of the parish church of St. Egidi in Styria. The lamb holds a banner attached to a cross, used in Christian iconography to represent Jesus’ victory over death.

Edge:

The edges of both the silver and copper nine-sided 2017 Spring Lamb coins are smooth.

Designer(s): Austrian Mint designer Helmut Andexlinger is one of the world’s leading coin designers. He has created a number of prize-winning coin designs (View Designer’s Profile). Herbert Wähner is a designer and engraver at the Austrian Mint. Both men studied at the Fachschule für Metalldesign in Steyr, Austria.

Coin Specifications:

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