Gold Philharmonic Coins

The First Gold Philharmonic 

2000 Schilling Gold Philharmonic100 Euro Gold Philharmonic

Philharmonic 1oz Gold Coins

The Austrian Mint in Vienna followed suit from the Royal Canadian Mint, South Africa Mint and Royal Mint, minting it's first 1oz gold bullion coin in 1989. Its design celebrates the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, considered by many to be the finest in the world, hence the name The Vienna Philharmonic coin, more commonly known as The Philharmonic or Philharmoniker, and sometimes shortened to Phil(s). 

The Philharmonic coin is produced using 0.9999 gold and originally had a face value of 2000 Schillings (ATS), making the coin legal tender in Austria. However, since Austria adopted the Euro in 2002, the face value of the 1oz gold Philharmonic was changed to €100, making it the only European bullion gold coin but still with a legal tender status only in Austria. 

Design of the Gold Philharmonic

The design of the coin concentrates, most obviously, on the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Like the Krugerrand the design does not change year on year. Unlike the Krugerrand, the design is much more beautiful and intricate. 

The edge of the coins are reeded.

Reverse

A harmonious design of musical instruments representing the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The designer is Thomas Pesendorfer. 

WIENER PHILHARMONIKER

Reverse of a One Ounce Gold Philharmonic

2009 Quarter Ounce Gold Philharmonic

Obverse

The great organ in the Golden Hall in Vienna's concert hall (Musikverein) is the theme for the obverse side of the coin. This is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Also featured on this side is the face value in Austrian Schillings or Euros (depending on the year the coin was minted), plus the weight, fineness and year of issue.

The designer is Thomas Pesendorfer. 

REPUBLIK OSTERREICH 1 UNZE GOLD 999.9 "DATE" "FACE VALUE"

The Philharmonic Family

Gold Philharmonics are available in various weights and denominations. Along with the 1oz coin, in 1989 the Austrian Mint also produced the Philharmonic in a quarter ounce. They later extended their range to include tenth ounce (1991), a half ounce (1994) and a twenty-fifth ounce (2014).

Technical Specifications for Gold Philharmonics

The following table summarises the specifications of all the sizes.

Anniversary of the Gold Philharmonic

15th Anniversary 

In 2004, the Mint produced the worlds largest coin, a 1000 ounce gold coin (The Big Phil), with a face value of 100,000 Euro, weighing 31,1035 grams (31.1035 kilos). Only 15 were minted, one for each year the gold Philharmonic has been produced. In 2007, The Canadian Mint surpassed the record with a 100kg gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of Canadian $1,000,000.

20th Anniversary

In 2009 a new denomination of Philharmonic was introduced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the coin. The €2,000 coin weighs 622.10 grams and contains 20 troy ounces of gold.

25th Anniversary 

A 1/25 ounce gold coin was issued with a face value of 4 Euro and a gold troy ounce weight of 0.0402. They continued to issue the 1/25 ounce over the coming years. 

Also in 2014, two coin proof sets were issued using the full ounce and quarter ounce Philharmonics as these were the two sizes originally issued in 1989. 

Premiums on Philharmonics

As with most one ounce gold bullion coins, they were originally made available to world bullion dealers at a 3% premium over the current gold fix, so that after distribution costs, the coins would be available to investors in quantity at about 4% to 5% over intrinsic gold values, and possibly 10% premium for single pieces. Presently, it is closer to the 2% premium depending on quantity but these deals are confidential between the Mints and their major customers. 

You will receive our choice of year. If you wish to specify a year, you can view all of our gold Philharmonic coins here.

Higher Premium on Smaller Sizes

The fractional sizes were issued at higher premiums to bullion dealers of 5%, 7%, and 9% respectively. The fractional coins have never been as popular as the full one ounce coins, usually only being purchased as singles, so that in practice, it would usually cost 10% to 15% premium for the half and quarter ounce, and from 20% to 50% premium for the tenth ounce, most of which seem to have been used in jewellery. Most bullion houses do not want the bother of handling small quantities of low value coins.

Silver and Platinum Philharmonics

The Austrian Mint, also produced Philharmonics in silver and platinum.