Restrikes of Franz Joseph I.

Lady in the Clouds

Franz Joseph I ascended the Austrian throne on 2 December 1848 at the age of 18. This was done in the Archbishop's Palace in Olomouc, as it was not safe for the Habsburg family in Vienna, which was under revolutionary rule at the time.

In 1908, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of this event, the Vienna Mint minted a 100-crown coin, which became known among collectors as the "Lady in the Clouds".

The coin, which is one of the most beautiful in the world, was designed by Rudolf Neuberger and Rudolf Ferdinand Marschall. The 0.900 gold coin had a diameter of 37 mm and weighed 33.875 g.

The reverse was decorated with the aforementioned lady seated in the clouds with her left arm resting on a shield with an Austrian eagle and with a laurel wreath in her right hand. It is said that this was the Austrian theatre actress Katharina Schratt, who was the mistress of Franz Joseph I. The monarch's wife, Elisabeth "Sisi" of Austria, knew about this relationship and did not oppose it.

The sunlit scene was complemented by the years 1848–1908, the face value of 100 COR. and the Latin inscription DVODECIM LVSTRIS GLORIOSE PERACTIS (or SIXTY YEARS GLORIOUSLY FINISHED). The obverse of the coin bore a portrait of Franz Joseph I surrounded by a description listing the monarch's titles. Another Latin text in the form of the monarch's motto VIRIBVS VNITIS (or WITH UNITED FORCES) appeared on the edge of the coin.

The combination of the attractive design and the low mintage of only 16,026 pieces made the coin a sought-after and highly prized collector's item.

Hungarian coronation of Franz Joseph I.

German family mint L. Ch. Lauer in Nuremberg, operating between 1729 and 1924, minted miniature Austrian and Hungarian coins of all denominations except the two-crown. This could mean that the miniatures were made before 1912, when the minting of real two-crown began.

The miniatures were minted in copper (1- and 2-heller), zinc (10- and 20-heller, 1- and 5-crown) and brass (10, 20 and 100-crown). They all had a unified diameter of 13 mm.

According to some historians, they were used by gamblers. Others claim that they were a school tool used in teaching financial literacy. Furthermore, there is an opinion that the miniatures were a talisman placed in a cradle to ensure a happy and wealthy life for a baby.

Among the miniatures, there was a 100-crown minted on the occasion of the 40^th anniversary of the coronation of Franz Joseph I as King of Hungary in Budapest.

On 8 June 1867, Franz Joseph I was crowned King of Hungary in the Matthias Church in Buda, thus confirming the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. In 1907, the Upper Hungarian mint of Kremnica (Körmöcbánya in Hungarian) minted a gold 100-crown to commemorate this grand event.

The authors of the coin with the K B mark were Josef Reisner (obverse) and Carl Gerl (reverse). The weight of the 37 mm diameter coin was 33.875 g. The original mintage, the smooth edge of which bore the text BIZALMAM AZ ŐSI ERÉNYBEN (meaning MY TRUST IN ANCIENT VIRTUE), was only 10 897 pieces. It was minted with a new technology, where the relief was matt, and the background of the texts was almost mirror-like.

The coin depicts the coronation itself – specifically the moment of placing the St. Stephen's Crown on the head of Franz Joseph I by Archbishop of Esztergom Ján Šimor in the presence of the Hungarian magnate.

This unique coin is the pride of every numismatic collection with the theme of the crown currency from 1892–1916.