1 oz Silver Coin Vienna Philharmonic, Austria

History

The mintage of Austrian Silver Philharmonic coins in 2008 was almost 8 million pieces

Austrian Silver Philharmonic coins were introduced for the first time during the height of the financial crisis in 2008. As investors were scrambling to buy hard assets, the uncertain economic environment proved to be the perfect window of opportunity for the Austrian Mint to unveil its new creation. The Austrian Silver Philharmonic coin was extremely well received by the investment community which, in the first year alone, bought 7,777,300 one-ounce pieces, or a massive 242 metric tonnes of silver. The Austrian Silver Philharmonic coin is essentially a replica of the Austrian Gold Philharmonic coin, differing only by containing silver instead of gold, portraying a smaller nominal face value, being thicker, and by the fact that the edge of the coin is polished rather than reeded. The Silver Philharmonic coin is the Austrian Mint’s first legal tender silver coin to be made of .999 fine silver and to be embellished with cultural symbols that most people can relate to: music. Many world famous musicians and composers, such as Mozart, Strauss, and Beethoven to name a few, have contributed to making Austria, and specifically its capital Vienna, famous for its operas and symphonies. Their work in classical and romantic music is immortalized in the Silver Philharmonic coin, making it a must for investors who have an affinity for the precious sound of pure silver.

The 1 oz Silver Philharmonic coin embodies classical music

The Austrian Silver Philharmonic coin is named after the world renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra was founded in 1842 by a group of people in response to Vienna’s lack of professional orchestral organizations in the early 19th century. The orchestra was managed as an independent body by an administrative committee who were democratically elected by its musician members. The professional musicians who made up the ensemble were chosen exclusively from the Vienna State Opera where they had to have been playing for at least three years before even being considered as a potential member. To this date, the stringent recruiting process has not changed, which ensures the very highest level of artistic performance from every member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This orchestra is today most famous for its traditional New Year’s concerts where nostalgic music from great composers is performed. These concerts have grown to become so popular that they are televised to over 90 countries, sending a message of joy for the New Year through the gracious and delightful character of music.

The Austrian Mint, a subsidiary of Austria’s Central Bank, is a world renowned mint which dates back to the 12th century. The story of the Austrian Mint begins in 1194, when Richard the Lionheart paid 12 tonnes of silver to secure his freedom from imprisonment by the Austrian Duke Leopold V. The Duke would later use the silver to strike silver coins, thus laying the foundation for the Austrian Mint. In its rich and long history, the Austrian Mint has produced many of Europe’s most famous and widely used coins, including gold crowns, guilders, ducats and silver coins such as the Maria Theresa thaler. Many of the gold coins issued by the Austrian Mint were extensively used in trade during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while the silver thaler proved to be one of the most minted and widely used silver coins in global commerce between 1750 and the 1950s.  Today, the  mint  is  best recognised  for producing  Europe’s  most  desired  investment bullion coins, the Gold and Silver Philharmonic bullion coins.