Silver Niobium Coin
Austrian Aviation

By 1912 only France held more world flying records than Austria. The beautiful turquoise blue 2007 edition of our unique 25 euro Silver Niobium series pays tribute to Austria’s magnificent men and their flying machines, as well as to Austria’s contribution to aeronautics.

In 1907, Franz Xaver Wels flew several hundred metres with the kidney-shaped Zanonia glider. Igo Etrich developed the glider into a recognisable aeroplane 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 motorised 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.

The 25 euro silver niobium coin has proven to be one of the most popular of all issues, anxiously awaited by coin collectors and connoisseurs alike. Struck in Special Uncirculated quality to a maximum mintage of 65,000 pieces, each piece comes in an attractive box with a numbered certificate of authenticity.