Silver Philharmonic Specifications, Information & History

The Vienna Philharmonic Silver coin is struck in pure silver . 9999 fine and is the official silver bullion coin of Austria. Commonly known as the "Philharmoniker", it was first minted in Gold only (from 1989). The Silver Philharmonic coin was only introduced in 2008, over twenty years after its gold sibling. It is now issued annually by the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich AG”) and has a face value of €1.5.

The design of the Silver Philharmonic coin is the same as that for the Gold Philharmonic coin, for which the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was the inspiration and is reflected in its design. The obverse shows the Great Organ in the Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein, which houses the Philharmonic Orchestra. Above the great organ the words "REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH" (Republic of Austria) are shown in capital letters. Also featured on this side are the weight, fineness and year of issue under the Great Organ image. The reverse side is a design including eight different instruments used by the Vienna Philharmonic including a string bass, cellos, violins, a bassoon, harp and Viennese horn. The inscription on the reverse side is "WIENER PHILHARMORIKER" for "Vienna Philharmonic."

Silver Philharmonic Technical Specifications


Size	Face Value Euro	Total Weight (g)	Fineness /1.000	Silver Content (T oz)	Silver Content (g)	Diameter (mm)	Thick (mm)
Full	1.5 Euro	31.104 g	.9999	1.00	31.104	?	?

Unlike the Gold Philharmonic coin, the Silver Philharmonic was created after Austrian entry to the single European currency and therefore there are no Silver Philharmonic coins with face values in Austrian Schillings.