Austrian Mint 2010 Coin Product Schedule

The Austrian Mint has just released their product schedule (known to them as an Issuing Programme) for the year 2010.

The coin schedule includes many coins that collectors should find nearly irresistible, given the spectacular designs the Mint has become known for from around world.

Several of the new issues will be continuations of series started in previous years and one will be the very first coin of a new series.

For reference, here is an image of the provided 2010 coin product schedule (click image to enlarge):

January 20, 2010 – Two 5 Euro Silver coins in a set are the first new issues to be available from the Austrian Mint for the year. Designed to honor the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, the coins highlight the sports of snow boarding and the ski-jump. Each coin is composed of 80% silver with a weight of 8 grams and a diameter of 28.5 mm. 225,000 of each coin will be struck to uncirculated condition and 50,000 of each will be struck to special uncirculated condition.

February 10, 2010 – A continuation of the gold coin series "Celebrated Physicians of Austria" will be available in February. This years coin features Dr. Karl Landsteiner who is most noted for developing the modern system of blood groups, ABO. He also co-discovered the Rh factor in 1937 with Alexander Wiener. His work led to him becoming the recipient of a Nobel Prize but more impressive than that is the fact that his research is estimated to have saved billions of lives by making transfusions safer. The coin struck in his honor is 98.6 pure gold weighing 10 grams with a diameter of 22 mm. The 50 Euro coin will feature a maximum mintage of 50,000 proofs.

March 10, 2010 – Silver and Niobium are the metals used in this unique coin. The bimetal coins from the Austrian Mint have proved popular in past years, and this years coin called "Renewable Energy" should be no different. Niobium is used because it has properties allowing it to be colored giving the Austrian Mint the ability to create very distinct designs. 90% silver is also used on the coin to give a total weight of the coin as 9 grams with a diameter of 34mm. Only 65,000 of the Renewable Energy coins will be created to a special uncirculated finish.

April 14, 2010 – "Tales and Legends in Austria" is the series continued with the April issue from the Austrian Mint. The series was first offered in 2009 with two releases, the Basilisk of Vienna Coin and the Richard the Lionheart Coin. The Erzberg in Styria is the theme featured for this strike. The coin will be composed of 92.5% silver with a weight of 16 grams and a diameter of 32 mm. With a face value of 10 Euros, the coins will be struck in three varieties with varying mintages; 130,000 uncirculated, 30,000 special uncirculated and 40,000 proof.

May 5, 2010 – "Rome on the Danube" is the theme of this brand new series. It is intended to showcase the towns which where established along the famous Danube River during the height of the Roman Empire. Virunum is the first location to be featured and was founded during the time of Emperor Claudius. Its history is not well known and the town was mostly abandoned within a few centuries. The 20 Euro coin has a weight of 18 grams with a diameter of 34mm. Composed of 90% silver, it has a maximum mintage of only 50,000 proof coins.

June 16, 2010 – June will see two new releases from the Austrian Mint. The first is a set of eight coins which represent all of the circulating coins produced by the Mint for that year ranging from 1 cent to 2 Euros. These coins will be struck in special uncirculated condition with a maximum of 50,000 sets being available in a colored coin folder. The individual coin release for the month of June is a 5 Euro denomination celebrating 75 years of the Grossglockener Alpine Road. Named after Austria’s highest mountain, the road is filled with spectacular views. Struck from 80% silver, each coin weighs 8 grams with a diameter of 28.5 mm. Two versions of the coin will be available, uncirculated or special uncirculated, with mintages of 150,000 and 50,000 respectively.

September 8, 2010 – The second of the new series "Rome on the Danube" will be featured in September. This months selection is Vindobona which was an early fortified military camp where modern day Vienna sits. Once again, little is known about the site, but ruins have been found including a 17km aqua duct that brought fresh water from the nearby forest to the camp which had an estimated compliment of 6,000 soldiers. The specifications for this coin are the same as for the Virunum coin which is a face value of 20 Euro, a weight of 18 grams, a diameter of 34 mm, and a proof mintage of 50,000. Each coin is also struck from 90% silver.

October 13, 2010 – Once again, two different issues from the Austrian Mint will appear this month. The first is a continuation of the "Tales and Legends in Austria" series featuring Charlemagne in the Untersberg. Also known as Charles the Great, Charlemagne lived in the late 8th and early 9th centuries. His warrior mentality led him to become known as the father of Europe. The Empire under his control united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans. The coin featuring his reign is struck from 92.5% silver with a weight of 16 grams and a diameter of 32 mm. The 10 Euro coin will be available in three conditions, uncirculated, special uncirculated and proof. Mintages of 130,000, 30,000 and 40,000 respectively will be strictly adhered to. Also issued in October will be the proof version of the circulating coin set featuring eight coins ranging in denomination from 1 cent to 2 Euros. Only 15,000 of these will be issued.

November 10, 2010 – Closing out the year for Austrian coins will be a gold issue honoring the "Crowns of the House of Habsburg." This specific coin features the Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen. Considered for years as a "living entity" the crown was placed on the head of more than 50 Hungarian kings since its creation in the late 1200’s. The 100 Euro coin is made from 98.6% gold with a weight of 16 grams and a diameter of 30 mm. A maximum mintage of only 30,000 of the crown coins will be struck.

The year 2010 will feature many new and exciting coins from the Austrian Mint that collectors will rush to purchase if not to continue a series they already started, then to get a unique coin from one of the worlds most historic Mints.