25 euro - 700 Years City of Hall in Tyrol

This coin commemorates the city charter which was granted to the town of Hall in Tyrol 700 years ago. The city of Hall has a special relationship to the Austrian Mint because it, too, housed an important mint until 1809, when the dangers of the Napoleonic Wars forced its closure. It was at Hall in 1486 that the first large silver coin was struck, the "Guldiner" which was the forerunner of the Taler and so of the Dollar. Today Hall is renowned not only for its well preserved mediaeval town core, but for its minting museum in Castle Hasegg. Indeed the great Mint Tower is the best known landmark of Hall. The obverse shows a satellite (a reference to the use of niobium in astronautics) mapping the town of Hall from outer space. The design continues onto the silver ring of the coin. The reverse side shows the Guldiner silver coin of 1486, but with a difference. The design is negative and represents a coining die, a reference to Hall’s history as an important centre for minting coins. This is the first time a coin die has been reproduced on a coin, adding to the unique character of this most unusual issue.