Centennial Precious Metals, Inc: Serving Gold Coin & Bullion Investors Since 1973

In the years before the Krugerrand and Maple Leaf became standard fare for bullion investors, the Austrian 100 Corona fulfilled the function of a gold bullion coin in many gold portfolios. The Austrian 100 Corona had been in regular production at the Austrian mint from 1908 to 1914. Later the coin was issued to commemorate the reign of Franz Joseph, as a restrike, bearing the date 1915.

No country is more closely associated with classical and sovereign Europe than Austria - the home of the famous Hapsburg dynasty which dominated central Europe for nearly 700 years. Franz Joseph portrayed on the obverse of the Austrian 100 Corona is generally characterized as 'the last great monarch of Europe,' and the self proclaimed 'last monarch of the old school.' The reverse of the 100 Corona depicts the imposing double-headed imperial eagle of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Hapsburg emperors viewed themselves as inheritors of the Holy Roman Empire, entitled to rule the world, thus the double-headed eagle looking simultaneously east and west, sword and sceptre embraced in the right talon and the globus cruiger (the cross-bearing orb) in the left.

Although the 100 Corona is no longer in production, it is still readily available in the marketplace and usually at favorable pricing in terms of premium when compared to contemporary bullion coins. Too, at the time of sale, an investor is likely to receive slightly less than you would for the same weight in most contemporary bullion coins.