Austria Euro Coins
Austria voted by a two-thirds majority to join the European Union in 1994. However,
populist support for both the EU and the single currency, has fluctuated. A year before
the introduction of the single currency only 25 per cent of Austrians supported joining
the euro, but by the time it was launched in January 1999, 66 per cent were in favour.
Please take a look at The Austrian National
Mint.
Austria chose to produce a series of coins illustrating flowers, architecture and famous
people from its history. The designs were chosen by a national panel and public opinion poll.
All designs are by the hand of Josef Kaiser and they include the 12 stars of the EU and the
year of imprint. The coins have a unique design for each denomination, with a common theme for
each of the three series of coins.
- The minor coins feature Austrian flowers: The 1, 2 and 5-cent coins show Alpine flowers representing
Austria’s obligations and commitment to the environment: the gentian (1 cent); the edelweiss (2 cent), a
traditional symbol of Austrian identity, and the primrose (5 cent).
- The middle coins feature examples of architecture from Austria's capital, Vienna: The 10, 20, and
50-cent coins depict architectural works in Vienna: the spires of St Stephen’s Cathedral (10 cent),
a masterpiece of Viennese Gothic architecture; the Belvedere Palace (20 cent), a jewel of Austrian
baroque style, and the ‘Sezession’ building in Vienna (50 cent), a symbol of Austrian modernism and
the birth of a new era.
- The two major coins feature famous Austrians: The €2 coin shows the portrait of the radical pacifist
Bertha von Suttner, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905 and the €1 coin shows the portrait of Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, the famous Austrian composer, and his signature.
The Austrian 2 euro coin edge inscription
| Edge |
|---|
 |
| |
| The sequence "2 EURO ***" repeated four times alternately upright and inverted |
Mintmarks on Austrian euro coins
| Mintmark | Location |
|---|
 |
Under the denomination or near the date |