All is calm, all is bright…
Recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to the Vienna Boys’ Choir, one of the most popular and enduring song of all times, “Silent Night” celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2018.
“Silent Night” was first performed on Christmas Eve, 1818 in the church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The church was destroyed by flooding in the early 20th century but in its place stands the Silent Night memorial chapel. A colored, glow-in-the-dark star of Bethlehem shines down on the tiny chapel on this fabulously festive Christmas coin.
Entitled Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht in the original German, “Silent Night” has been translated into 140 different languages. It was even sung simultaneously in German, French, and English in the trenches of the Western Front during the Christmas truce of 1914. The beloved Christmas carol was first performed by village priest Joseph Mohr, who wrote the words, and schoolmaster and organist Franz Xaver Gruber, who wrote the music. “Silent Night” proved such a popular tune that traveling folk singers began including it in their repertoire and soon it was performed for Emperor Franz I of Austria. The first performance of the song in the United States was in New York City in 1839.
In 2011, “Silent Night” was declared intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
Minted to a maximum of 30,000 pieces in Proof quality only, each superb 20 euro silver coin (925 Ag, 2/3 ounce) comes in an attractive case with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
Its recommended retail price, excluding VAT, is € 49.50 ($51.81 USD).
We are expecting a heavy demand and sell out.
Colorful Creatures Series – “The Frog”
The metamorphosis from tadpole to frog is one of nature’s most fascinating and familiar transformations.
Typically lasting only 24 hours, and initiated by the production of the hormone “thyroxine”, this transformation is one that most of us have witnessed and one of the reasons why children are particularly fascinated with frogs.
Showing the agile amphibian in its full glory, the vivid green ninth coin in the Austrian Mint’s glow-in-the-dark Colorful Creatures series is a must for all frog lovers.
One side of the coin features the silhouette of all 12 animals in the series; the other shows a color-applied image of a green tree frog that glows in the dark.
In 2019, the Austrian Mint will issue the next three coins in the series: Turtle, Otter, and Crayfish.
SPECIFICATIONS: Face Value 3 Euro; Diameter 34 mm; Copper alloy; Weight 16 g; Mintage 50,000; Glow-in-the-Dark color print
Its recommended retail price, excluding VAT is € 8.25 ($9.64 USD).
Since the first issue we are with this product more than oversubscribed and sold out.
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About the Austrian Mint
Boasting over 800 years of experience, the Austrian Mint renowned the world over first-class precious metal processing and coin manufacturing. A member of the international minting elite, it is a global player in this field. Without such a pedigree the Vienna Philharmonic would never have become Europa’s most sought after bullion coin. The Austrian Mint’s flagship product is the Vienna Philharmonic bullion coin. Produced in five different sizes, from one ounce to 1/25 of an ounce, the Vienna Philharmonic fits every pocket and occasion. Investors, collectors, and gift-givers all value the unique combination of its beautiful design and highest possible minting quality, which make it one of the world’s best-loved and best-selling bullion coins. Since it was first struck in 1989, on one side the coin’s award-winning design has featured a harmonious assortment of musical instruments from the world-famous orchestra.
I recently found a 1944 wheat, an old relic! And it sticks to a magnet…