100 Euro Coins

Of the six animals featured in the Wildlife in our Sights series, the mallard is the only one that most of us are likely to see on a daily basis. As it is able to thrive in urban areas, the duck is a common sight in parks lakes, rivers and canals throughout Western Europe. But as the final coin in the series shows with brilliant clarity, the mallard’s ubiquity does not make it any less striking.

A species of wild goat with impressive horns that can grow up to a metre in length, the Alpine ibex can be spotted on vertiginous rocky outcrops above the tree line in the Alps. It can also be spotted on the fifth coin in our Wildlife in our Sights series, which celebrates the diversity of Europe’s native wildlife and the sustainable management of the natural habitats in which it continues to thrive.

With their reputation for cunning, few animals play as prominent a role in popular culture and folklore as the fox. This is partly due to the fact that foxes live in closer proximity to humans than most other wild animals. So widespread is the red fox that this member of the wolf family is not an endangered species. With a maximum mintage of only 30,000, and containing half an ounce of gold, the beautifully finished fourth coin in our Wildlife in our Sights series is, however, far rarer.

The largest member of the grouse family, the capercaillie is known for its spectacular courtship display during the mating season. Containing half an ounce of gold and minted to the very highest standards in Proof quality only, the third coin in the Austrian Mint’s Wildlife in our Sights series is equally spectacular.

Not for nothing is the wild boar the world’s most widely extended species of cloven-hoofed animals. A predecessor of the domestic pig, it is a strong, adaptable and highly intelligent omnivore. The second in our handsome Wildlife in our Sights series, this brilliant gold coin may be a real eye catcher, but in real life the wild boar doesn’t like to draw so much attention to itself, sleeping in the day and foraging for food at night.

Guaranteed to excite all nature lovers, Wildlife in our Sights is a sumptuous six-coin series of gold coins celebrating the diversity of Europe's native wildlife and its natural habitats. One of the continent’s largest and most iconic land mammals, the red deer features in all its splendour on the handsome first coin in the series.

Originally the personal crown of Emperor Rudolph II, the Imperial Crown of Austria can now be yours. The last 100 euro gold coin in our majestic five-coin Crowns of the House of Habsburg series, it is every bit as impressive as the spectacular crown itself.

Immortalised in the popular Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, the Duke of Bohemia became the patron saint of the Czechs following his assassination in AD 935. The crown crafted in his honour is likewise immortalised in this expertly engraved coin by Herbert Wähner.

Displayed today in the treasury of the Hofburg in Vienna, the Crown of the Holy Roman Empire was once among the most coveted in Europe. The first in the Austrian Mint’s impressive five-coin Crowns of the House of Habsburg series, this handsome 100 euro gold coin is itself a treasure to be coveted.

A relict of mystical proportions due to the legitimacy bestowed on those crowned with it, the Crown of St Stephen takes its name from the first Christian king of Hungary. The ‘Latin Crown’, as it is also known, is the superb third coin in our Crowns of the House of Habsburg series.

Affectionately known as the ‘Archduke’s Hat’ due to the red velvet cap in its lining, the Archducal Crown was a symbol of authority never actually used in coronations. It is a relic of exquisite beauty nonetheless, as shown by the second coin in our Crowns of the House of Habsburg series.