20 euro - Lauriacum and the Limes

Christian Emperor Gratianus, who visited Lauriacum in AD 378, is depicted in profile on the coin’s obverse. Behind him stands St Florian, the patron saint of Austrian firefighters, holding a flag, a millstone and a palm of martyrdom. A Roman military commander, Florian refused to renounce his Christianity during Christian purges in AD 304 and paid the ultimate price when he was drowned in the River Enns at Lauriacum, which can be seen in the background of the coin’s reverse. In the foreground, a Roman ‘agrimensor’, or surveyor, involved in the construction of a bridge takes measurements with the help of a ‘groma’, while his plans and other geometrical tools lie on a table at his side. Superbly struck in Proof quality with a maximum mintage of 50,000 pieces, each coin comes in a protective transparent acrylic capsule and a presentation box containing a numbered certificate of authenticity. For those keen to complete the whole six-coin collection a superb wooden case is also available for purchase.