Austria

brogine

Two questions about this coin. Did the Austrians call the units 'coronas' - which, after all, is Latin - or 'kronen'?
Also, can anyone translate the inscription on the reverse? I've tried a number of resources, but keep coming up empty.
DUODECIM LUSTRIS GLORIOSE PERACTIS

Might as well throw this out, too. I believe a lot of you know a good deal of history. What's with the hammer and sickle?

Later: with all due respect to Krause . . . after consulting a number of dictionaries, I have come to believe that krone/kronen is correct. Which is not to say that the people back then did not use the word 'corona', as most of us do today, after the Latin word (for crown) prominent on the coins.

satootoko

According to Krause Austria had a monetary reform commencing in 1892 and extending to 1918, during which 100 Heller = 1 Corona (plural Coronae).

The pictured coin is KM#2810, a commemorative for the 60th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I. Its only substantial difference from KM#2805 (1892-1907) lies in the addition of the 1848 date to the reverse. It's 3.3875g of .900 gold (AGW .098 oz.) and had a mintage of 654,022.

Value in the 2007 34th Ed. is $100 Unc.

(How on earth did I beat Brad in posting the ID of a coin)

tbirde56

The board is in good hands. I can afford to relax my i.d. vigil every now and then. ;-)

mrpotatoheadd

Franz Joseph I shows up on Hungary coins, too...

brogine

Got the inscription! Thanks to a language chat group I look at. TWELVE LUSTRA (60 YEARS) GLORIOUSLY ACCOMPLISHED. It's a 1908 coin - the 60th anniversary of the start of the reign of Franz Joseph I. Very interested in your input on my other questions.

Sapyx

<< <i>Did the Austrians call the units 'coronas' - which, after all, is Latin - or 'kronen'?

Later: with all due respect to Krause . . . after consulting a number of dictionaries, I have come to believe that krone/kronen is correct. Which is not to say that the people back then did not use the word 'corona', as most of us do today, after the Latin word (for crown) prominent on the coins. >>


I believe you are correct; "krone" would have been used by the majority German population in Austria proper. The Pick banknote catalogues call them "kronen". Here's a banknote from the old Austro-Hungarian empire; it's bilingual, with German on the left and Hungarian on the right; the note is a 1 krone (German) or 1 korona (Hungarian).

I assume the Latin "corona" was used on the coins because the old Empire, even the western "Austrian half", was multi-ethnic, and they didn't want the Czechs, Slovaks, Venetians, Croatians etc, who would also have used these coins, to feel as if they were being germanized. Another possibility is they saw themselves as a "new and improved" version of the Roman Empire, not unlike the old Holy Roman Empire the Austrians used to be in charge of, and used Latin as a reminder of their Roman aspirations.


<< <i> What's with the hammer and sickle? >>


The Wikipedia article on the hammer and sickle mentions this, right at the bottom of the page:

The Austrian coat of arms depicts an eagle holding an (uncrossed) hammer and sickle in each claw. Though unrelated to communism, the design was meant to represent the two main classes in Austrian society at the time of its conception, the workers and peasants.

brogine

Thanks to you all. You make this hobby so much more rewarding. I'm short on knowledge to contribute, but I expect to come up with more questions at least some will find interesting. Seeya.

But wait! There's more! If you follow to another entry, you will learn about the third group in the society, whose symbolic inclusion essentially negates any association with Communism.