September 26, 2012 Vienna – The Austrian Mint will issue the second coin in the delightful silver coin series, “Austria by Its Children.” This coin series continues to celebrate what Austrian children are excited by, and proud to speak about, when they speak of their home. The other side of the coin features a UNESCO world heritage site located in the home province of the child from which the design was selected. The series will feature all 9 provinces and a tenth coin as the finale, which will celebrate Austria as a nation.
This second coin of the series honours the southern province of Carinthia and bears the winning design by ten year old Philip Ogris on its reverse. Philip included many of the well-known sites of Carinthia. In the foreground is the lovely and popular summer destination, the Woerthersee. Sailboats and fish are floating in the clear green/blue waters of the lake. The lake is correctly depicted south of the snow-covered Alps, more specifically the mountain of Grossglockner, with a brilliant sun shining in the background, which brings to this area some of the warmest and sunniest weather in Austria and warms the waters of the lake. Between the lake and the Alps the ever popular Lindworm of Klagenfurt is depicted. A luscious forest and striking ibexes stand proudly on the mountainside. Carinthia shares it southern border with the country of Slovenia and thus many of its citizens speak Slovenian as well as German. Because of this Philip decided to include the name of the province in both the German and Slovenian languages along the bottom inside edge of the coin’s design.
The obverse features Carinthia’s cultural heritage of falconry. This side of the coin was designed and engraved by the mint’s chief engraver Thomas Pesendorfer. Thomas depicted the falconer wearing the very thick leather falconer’s glove, raising his hand as the flacon takes off for full flight. The outfit worn by the falconer is a blend of traditional and contemporary falconry clothing. In the background are the ruins of the castle of Landskron located north-east of the city of Villach in Carinthia. Even today regular falconry events occur on the castle grounds. The castle has been known in a variety of forms since 1351.
Also located on this obverse side of each coin is the country of issue, “Republik Oesterreich” Republic of Austria, the year of issue 2012, the face value of 10 euros and the German word for Falconry, “Falknerei”. This commemorative coin is legal tender in Austria.
Philip Ogris design was selected from about 1,200 designs submitted by 9 and 10 year old children living in the province of Carinthia. The selection committee reviewing all the anonymous submissions included officials and coin experts from Carinthia. They particularly liked the ibexes and all the layers of the province so delightfully depicted, as well as the inclusion of the second language of the area.
The castle of Landskron is one of the most spectacular sites of Austria with breath-taking views for miles and miles around. The castle is easily accessed by car and is located in a popular hiking region.
The silver Carinthia coin will be available in two finishes, Proof and 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 special uncirculated coins are available in a blister pack with an impressive Carinthia design on the sleeve.
The coin will also be available in Austria only in the regular circulation finish and struck in copper. The copper coins have a rilled edge whereas the silver coins have a smooth edge.
Also available for the series are collection cases for each respective coin type, BU or proof. For the BU series there is a frosted plastic box bearing the series logo. The proof case is made from a heavy card stock and includes a small booklet detailing the whole series.
