The Austrian Mint’s four coin gold series “Vienna Jugendstil” concludes with the issue of the coin “House No. 38 in the Linke Wienzeile” on 7th November, 2007.

The series began in 2004 with a coin for the Vienna “Secession”, the exhibition hall in which the “Jugendstil” school of art had its origins. 2005 saw a work of sacral art, the “Church am Steinhof” with its golden dome. 2006 brought the “Vienna River Gate” to the City Park, a monumental work for public use. The series now is rounded off with an apartment house designed by the great Jugenstil architect Otto Wagner, who even took an apartment for himself in this building on the street bordering the Vienna River, the “Linke Wienzeile”.

The house was built in 1898-99 and is one of the best known examples of the Jugendstil in Vienna. Occupying a corner block, its cream façade decorated in gold is a prominent sight in the Linke Wienzeile. The rounded corner of the house itself is flanked on top by two female half-figures who, with hands raised to their mouths, trumpet out their joy to all Vienna. These figures are the work of the sculptor Othmar Schimkowitz, who also created the angels on Wagner’s Church am Steinhof. The façade is decorated with gold medallions of women’s heads, designed by the great Jugendstil artist Koloman Moser. Wagner had hoped to create a row of Jugenstil houses along the Wienzeile; a dream that was not to be realised.

The new coin shows the impressive building with its rounded corner connecting both wings. The reverse side of the coins shows the beautifully decorated lift in the stairwell of the house, its gilded wrought iron gate and fencing richly ornamented with the finest Jugendstil design. In the foreground to the left is superimposed an example of Koloman Moser’s golden medallions from the façade with a woman’s face and crowned by palm branches.

The new coin with a face value of 100 Euros is struck in .986 fine gold to a maximum mintage of 30,000 pieces worldwide. It is struck in proof quality (reverse frosting) only. Each coin comes in an attractive gold box with a numbered certificate of authenticity. A black lacquered Jugendstil collection case may be purchased separately for the whole series. The coins are legal tender in the Republic of Austria.

The Jugendstil theme was particularly well suited to a gold coin series, since gold was a favourite medium used by all Jugendstil artists. The next gold theme for the € 100 gold coin will be “The Crowns of the Habsburgs”. The new series will begin in November of 2008.

“House No. 38 in the Linke Wienzeile”
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Date of issue: 7th November, 2007
Design: Th. Pesendorfer/H. Andexlinger
Fineness: 986 Au
Fine weight: 16 g
Diameter: 30 mm
Face value: € 100.-

Mintage: 30,000 pieces in proof quality only

The Austrian Mint