Austria Niobium- 163133
2007 AVIATION

Owner Comments:

In 1907, Franz Xaver Wels flew several hundred meters with the kidney-shaped Zanonia glider. Igo Etrich developed the glider into a recognizable airplane called the Taube (the Dove) because of its bird-like wings and tail. With this machine, in 1910 Etrich’s colleague Karl Illner was able to make the first successful motorized flight in Austria, from Wiener Neustadt to Vienna and back. Both aircraft feature in the niobium core on the reverse of the coin, as does Illner himself waving from the cockpit of the Taube just before his historic flight. The silver outer ring bears the inscription “Luftfahrt in Österreich”, Aviation in Austria. The obverse shows a familiar view into the cockpit of a modern passenger aircraft, ringed by the country identification “Republik Österreich” and the 25 euro face value. Each coin comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity. This coin certificate of authenticity is 2209.