Austria Silver-Niobium
2008 FASCINATION OF LIGHTS

Owner Comments:

Born in Vienna in 1858, chemist and entrepreneur Carl Auer von Welsbach was one of the key figures in the development of the gas lamp. The obverse of this coin therefore shows, in exquisite detail, such a lamp being lit outside Vienna’s neo-gothic city hall. The coin’s striking green colour is achieved by heat treating and oxidising the niobium core and applying an extra finish prior to its striking. This process has provided engraver Herbert Wähner with a brighter, almost glowing background for his exquisitely engraved designs. The reverse depicts the sun, the ultimate source of light, a portrait of Carl Auer von Welsbach and, in the Sterling silver outer ring, the evolution of lighting technology.