4 Gulden Österreich Gold

Summary

• Four Guilder are coins from Austria-Hungary

• The Austrian Mint produces restrikes of the Four Guilder.

• Four Guilder are characterised by their high purity.

• Four Guilder restrikes are subject to VAT in Switzerland.

Introduction to the Austrian Four Guilder

The restrikes of the Four Guilder coins come from the Austrian Mint, which is one of the most important producers of investment gold. In addition to the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic, the mint also produces restrikes of historical coins. These restrikes are interesting for investors because they are coins that, in contrast to the historical originals, are traded much closer to the gold price. The restrikes are produced exactly the same as their historical counterparts.

According to Austrian law, only the Austrian Mint is allowed to produce these restrikes and is obliged to keep the fineness and weight exactly the same as the genuine old coins. One of these restrikes is the Four Guilder coin. These coins were created in preparation for joining the Latin Monetary Union, which is why 4 Fl and 10 Fr are also stamped on the value side. The fineness of gold thus corresponds to that of 10 Swiss francs or 10 francs.

The appearance of the Four Guilder coin

The obverse shows the head of the young Emperor Franz-Josef I crowned with a laurel wreath.

The portrait is surrounded by the inscription "FRANC IOS I D G IMPERATOR ET REX" which means "Franz Joseph I, by the Grace of God Emperor and King".

The double eagle of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy can be seen on the reverse. The double-headed eagle bears the imperial crown as well as the sword and orb.

Above the eagle is the inscription "IMPERIVM AVSTRIACVM" Austrian Empire.

While the originals bear the respective year of minting under the double eagle, the restrikes are marked with the year 1892. After 1892 the florin was replaced by the crown coin.

Historical Four Guilder

The historic Four Guilder have become very rare. They were minted from 1870 onwards and were mainly used for customs payments. As a result, they were never in circulation as often as silver coins. In addition, many of the coins were lost due to wars, riots and reparation payments to foreign countries and were melted down. As a result, the original coins are extremely rare today and their numismatic value considerably exceeds the value of gold.

The Austrian Mint, manufacturer of the Four Guilder

Much older than the Four Guilder is the Austrian Mint, the maker of the Austrian gold coins. Its history, or that of its predecessor institutions, can be traced back to the 14th century. Since 1918 it has been the only mint for the Republic of Austria, which has existed since then. The Austrian Mint not only produces circulation coins and the Philharmonic, but also copies of coins from the Austro-Hungarian Empire for collecting and saving, for example florins, crowns, ducats and the Maria Theresa Thaler.

The Austrian Mint, which is owned by the National Bank, itself holds stakes in other companies such as, until 2017, Argor-Heraeus, a precious metal refinery in Ticino, whose bars it also sells.

Fiscal peculiarity of the Four Guilder

The Austrian Mint's restrikes are among the few bullion coins that are not exempt from VAT in Switzerland. Although the coins are produced by a state-owned mint according to legally defined standards, since the restrikes were not produced for payment transactions, they do not fall under the VAT exemption according to Swiss law. This is in contrast to their siblings, the Vienna Philharmonic, which have the character of means of payment due to their struck face value.

Image rights: © Austrian Mint