History
The sounds of Vienna in gold
The Wiener Philharmoniker is Europe’s best-selling gold coin and one of the most recognised bullion coins in the world. Struck by the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich), it carries the musical heritage of Vienna as a tribute to the famous orchestra.
On 10 October 1989 the Austrian Mint struck the Wiener Philharmoniker for the first time. As early as 1990 it was Europe’s best-selling gold coin and the second in the world. In 1992, 1995, 1996 and 2000 the World Gold Council crowned it the best-selling gold coin in the world.
The design never changes, only the year varies. The obverse shows the great organ of the Golden Hall in the Wiener Musikverein. The reverse shows an ensemble of orchestral instruments: cello, violins, harp, bassoon and the typically Viennese horn.
For the anniversaries special editions were struck. In 2004 the legendary “Big Phil” appeared: a coin of 1,000 troy ounces (over 31 kilograms) of pure gold, with a face value of 100,000 euros. Only 15 pieces were struck.
