Silver Proof Coin
Der liebe Augustin

Written in 1679, when Vienna was ravaged by the plague, Oh, du Lieber Augustin is still a popular and inspirational folk song in Austria today. The sixth and final coin in our popular Austrian Tales and Legends series tells its fascinating story in marvellously vivid detail.

The reverse of the coin depicts Marx Augustin, a popular piper in old Vienna, entertaining the patrons of one of the city’s alehouses in the shadow of St Stephen’s cathedral. One night he got so drunk that while sleeping it off in the street he was mistaken for a corpse and thrown into a mass grave full of plague victims. The obverse of the coin shows Augustin waking from his slumber just in time to save himself from being buried alive by playing his pipes to attract the attention of the gravediggers. When he didn’t succumb to the plague the rumour spread far and wide that wine was an excellent preventive medicine. Augustin was so grateful for his second chance that he decided to help out collecting the bodies of plague victims until, sadly, he eventually became one himself.

Struck in 925 Sterling silver in Proof or Special Uncirculated quality with a maximum mintage of 40,000 and 30,000, respectively, both coins are issued in attractive packaging. However, a special collectors’ album resembling a handsome old book of classic tales for collecting all six Proof coins in this fantastic series is also available for purchase.