Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 2 Euro 2016, KM# 3248, Austria, 200th Anniversary of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
  • 2 Euro 2016, KM# 3248, Austria, 200th Anniversary of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Description

With the National Bank of Austria was celebrating its bicentenary in 2016, the Austrian Mint issued a 2 euro circulation coin in honour of the guardian of the Austrian currency. The bank has long been the official issuer of banknotes in Austria, but during its eventful history, it has also overseen the transition from the Gulden to the Crown, from the Schilling to the Reichsmark, and from the Schilling to the Euro.

The Oesterreichische Nationalbank was founded in 1816 by Francis I, the first Emperor of Austria. The bank was founded after a period of high currency devaluation in Austria during war times when paper money was issued by the Habsburg state. Today the National Bank of Austria helps shape the monetary policy of the Eurozone and safeguard price stability.

Date of issue: 18.01.2016

Obverse

Mercury and Fortuna grace the main door of the National Bank of Austria in Vienna. An ornamental band hugging the bottom of the coin centre evokes the red-white-red pattern of the Austrian national flag, with hatched vertical lines symbolizing the colour red, as laid down in the rules of heraldic design.

Mercury is a major Roman god. He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, communication, travelers, luck, trickery and thieves. He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand. The caduceus is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings.

Fortuna was the goddess of fortune and personification of luck in Roman religion. She might bring good or bad luck: she could be represented as veiled and blind, as in modern depictions of Justice, and came to represent life's capriciousness.

Designer: Herbert Wähner

REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH
1816
2016
200 JAHRE ÖSTERREICHISCHE NATIONALBANK

Reverse

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

2 EURO
LL

Edge

The sequence "2 EURO ★★★" repeated four times alternately upright and inverted

2 EURO ★★★ 2 EURO ★★★ 2 EURO ★★★ 2 EURO ★★★

2 Euro

200th Anniversary of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank

KM# 3248 Schön# 432
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Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Bi-Metallic
Ring Cupronickel
Center Nickel Brass
Weight 8.5 g
Diameter 25.75 mm
Thickness 2.2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Austrian Mint

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