Raphael is the third of four Guardian Angels in the Austrian Mints silver coin series
The third of the Austrian Mints Guardian Angels coins is out now and depicts Raphael. Following Michael and Gabriel, with Uriel to follow in September, the coins are struck in half-ounce of sterling 0.925 silver and come in a choice of two finishes.
The proof variant is one of the growing number of Austrian Mint coins to emply colour on one face. Some collectors like it, some don’t, but the Austrian Mint is quite clear that colourcoins have proven a hit with the general public, so expect them to stay a strong part of their line-up for the foreseeable future. The colour on these is actually quite subtle and couldn’t be accused of overpowering the design. Even so, the cheaper variant with the special uncirculated finish has eschewed the colour application, so the choice is there.
The artwork is centred around the angels initial – in this case a capital R – around which is a pattern and in the middle of which is a symbol of the angel – in the case of Raphael a fish. The usual inscriptions sit in a border that circumnavigates the whole face. The reverse face is the same for both variants and depicts the angel from a piece of original artwork. For this coin that’s from an 1862 painting and is is devoid of colour.
The mintage of each version is 30,000 pieces, with the proof version (€44.40) and the s/unc version (€34.80) coming packaged differently. The proof comes in the small red box the Austrian Mint commonly uses, while the cheaper coin is mounted to a colourful themed card. An uncirculated copper version is also available for €10.00 and has a 130k mintage. There is a collectors box that will hold all four coins for $39.90, but it appears to be currently unavailable. The coin however, is available to buy now.
COIN 3 – RAPHAEL: THE HEALING ANGEL
MINTS DESCRIPTION
Worshipped by Christians and Jews for his special healing powers, archangel Raphael is the inspiration for the third coin in our interfaith Guardian Angels series. The talismanic properties of Raphael – The Healing Angel encompass both the body and the soul since Raphael watches over us when we travel, helps us heal and boosts our vitality.
The prototype guardian angel, Raphael is also an archangel in Islam. According to the Christian Old Testament story, Tobias and the Angel, which appears in the Book of Tobit, Raphael gave special healing powers to Tobias in the form of the vital organs of the fish that had attacked the young man in the River Tigris. On the 10 euro Proof quality silver coin’s obverse, the fish is shown crossed with a pilgrim’s staff inside the letter R, which is surrounded by the coin’s rich green grapevine design. The obverse shows an 1862 portrait of Raphael by an artist of the English School. This shows the patron saint of travellers – who is also said to watch over pilgrims – as a young man with tousled hair and wings of peacock feathers, one hand holding a pilgrim’s staff, the other raised in a blessing.
| SPECIFICATION | |
| DENOMINATION | €10 EURO |
| COMPOSITION | 0.925 silver |
| WEIGHT | 15.56 grams (fine) |
| DIAMETER | 32.00 mm |
| FINISH | Proof or Special uncirculated |
| MODIFICATIONS | Colour on proof version |
| MINTAGE | 30,000 proof / 30,000 s/unc |
| BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
COIN 2 – GABRIEL: THE REVEALING ANGEL
MINTS DESCRIPTION
The bringer of good news, archangel Gabriel is the inspiration for the second coin in the Austrian Mint’s talismanic Guardian Angels series. Combining a historical representation of Gabriel and state-of-the-art colour application technology, Gabriel – the Revealing Angel is a pocket-sized lucky token that will make you feel someone is watching over you.
In the Koran, Gabriel is the guardian of the gate to heaven, the angel of revelation and the mediator between god and man. In the New Testament, Gabriel is the angel who told the Virgin Mary that she was with child and that the child should be known as Jesus. In a detail from a painting by an unknown 15th or 16th century painter, believed to belong to the German School, the coin’s reverse depicts Gabriel as a young man with curly hair and a halo, pointing his fingers to the sky, his wings decorated with peacock feathers. The centre of the obverse of the coin features a lily; symbolising Gabriel it is framed by the initial G, which is surrounded by an ornate orange-coloured grapevine design.
COIN 1 – MICHAEL: THE AVENGING ANGEL
MINTS DESCRIPTION
From Judaism to Zoroastrianism and from Christianity to Islam, through the ages people of many faiths have looked to angels for protection. Michael – the Protecting Angel is the first coin in the Austrian Mint’s talismanic new four-coin Guardian Angels series, which draws on art history and state-of-the-art colour application technology to celebrate these benevolent but invisible beings. Not only superbly crafted historical masterpieces, Guardian Angels are pocket-sized lucky tokens that will make you feel someone is watching over you.
As the leader of the angels, Michael has a particularly devoted following. The leader of the holy legion was the protector of the chosen people of Israel and became patron saint of the Holy Roman Empire after the victorious battle of Lechfeld in 955. The reverse of the 10 euro silver coin shows a detail adapted from the famous depiction of Saint Michael slaying the dragon, painted on the altar of the church of Saint Miquel de Soriguerola in Catalonia, Spain. The painting, which dates from the end of the 13th century, can be found today in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona. The coin’s obverse shows a sword with a waved blade crossed with a set of scales framed inside the letter M. Counting among popular symbols of Michael, these are surrounded by a rich blue grapevine design.
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