Did
you know series (23): (i): The “25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series": 2003 onwards minted by the Austrian Mint by
using Niobium and Niobium metal insertion technology for the first time
anywhere in the World of Numismatics:
First Coin featuring: “700 Jahre Stadt Hall” (700 years of Hall Town/City in Tyrol):
First Coin featuring: “700 Jahre Stadt Hall” (700 years of Hall Town/City in Tyrol):
In 2000, the
Austrian Mint started a Coin Collector’s Series called the “25 Euro Millennium
Coin” Series which initially consisted of bimetallic coins, having a metallic
composition of Silver/Tin. The first coin in the Series issued in 2000 had a
theme of “telecommunications” and the second one in the Series issued in 2001
had “mobility” as its theme.
Encouraged by the
enthusiastic response of the Collectors in 2002, the Austrian Mint proposed to continue
the Series. In 2003, they planned to issue a Collector’s coin to commemorate
the “700th Anniversary of City Hall, Tyrol” (the town of Hall in
Tyrol) – but with a difference – from the
third coin onwards till end of the series, for all coins to be issued in this
Series, the Austrian Mint wanted that there should be a new and unique metal
composition for this coin. The Mint also proposed to issue about 50,000 pieces
per edition.
As such, the Austrian Mint
collaborated with Plansee
Aktiengesellschaft on a project for identification of a new metal from out
of the production range of the Plansee
group, to be used in the minting of the coin commemorating the “700th
Anniversary of the City Hall, Tyrol”.
As Tyrol was a production site for
manufacturing the metal Niobium which had a high technological application
in the aerospace industry, Niobium was chosen after studying the pros and cons
of its qualities. Niobium is a relatively young metal, discovered in 1801.
The
designers of the 2003 “700th Anniversary of the City Hall, Tyrol”
coin have applied this Niobium metal insertion technology for the first time
anywhere in the world of Numismatics.
A particular challenge overcome by the
designers was the requirement to provide an optical appearance on the coin
blanks, which necessitated the development of special surface treatment
techniques.
In addition, the colouring
of the Niobium insert was an important feature which required the development
of advanced quality tools necessary, so as to keep the quality level uniform
over the whole production in the entire Series.
With the issue of the 25
Euro bi-metallic Silver-Niobium coin, it was the first time for the Austrian
mint that the idea of conceiving, implementing and quality deciding production
steps that a collaborative external partner – Plansee Aktiengesellschaft was relied upon.
On its part, Plansee Aktiengesellschaft measured up
to meeting the rigorous demands for mint processing, production and the
implementation of advanced quality assurance methods, as well as marketing of
the commemorative coins. Over two years of extensive research was required to
successfully adapt the special properties and working behaviour of Niobium to
the coin minting process.
A
new application field for Niobium – its use in the minting industry was
developed together with a technique for colouring of Niobium with specified
shades of colour which was a huge challenge which was overcome.
The overwhelming success
of the 25 Euro bi-metallic Silver – Niobium coin Series complimented the
decision of the Austrian Mint to invest in this innovative product line despite
the high realisation risk.
Why
Niobium:
Niobium belongs to the
group of refractory metals which comprises Zirconium, Hafnium, Niobium,
Tantalum, Chromium, Molybdenum, Tungsten, Technetium and Rhenium which are termed
as “high melting” metals/elements, given their high melting points.
Their specific properties
make the refractory metals suitable for many high performance applications in
high technology, like, the steel industry and in aerospace industry. It is also
used as a component for production of superconducting cables and magnets for
large test units in high energy physics research institutes, for research on
plasma fusion technology and in analytical devices for medicine technology.
Niobium and Niobium alloys
are also used in more common applications and are sometimes very essential –
for example, in chemical engineering for heating and shielding elements, for
process technology for better materials and for lighting technology as
components for sodium vapour lamps.
Thus, Niobium is a
corrosion resistant, light grey metal with good room temperature ductibility.
Niobium
was found to be most suited for inclusion in this Series of Commemorative coins.
The main deposits which
are industrially mined are located in Brasilia, Canada and Africa.
Some factors which were
given special focus by the Austrian Mint & Plansee Aktiengesellschaft were:
-
Clear impressions of the Niobium inserts on
the coin blanks so as not to produce distorted images.
-
Incorporating some additional features like
colouring of the metal by special surface treatments (decorative colouring like
for eg. painting, printing or enamelling were not considered appropriate). A unique feature of this process is the fact
that the colouring layer is not deposited on the surface, but it is formed by
commutation of Niobium in the surface area of the material. After the colouring, the Niobium insert is
assembled together with the silver ring and stroked in place.
-
To lay stress on the “strike quality” of
the coin, is chiefly influenced by the surface structure of the blank, beside
the purity of the metal and the homogeneity of the microstructure, which
influences the workability of the material.
-
The constant quality of the coins over the
whole production process to be monitored by repeatedly carrying out visual
inspections and comparisons with the reference samples.
-
Keeping costs of production low so as not
to impact the buyer/collector-end prices.
Following
in the footsteps of the Austrian Mint, the Royal Canadian Mint, has for the
first time brought out a Sterling silver and Niobium coin Series titled “Full
Moon Sterling and Niobium Coin Series” for the first time in 2014, when the
pioneering technology of the Austrian Mint is now over a decade old. They are
subtly marketing these Coins under a sub-title “A Royal Canadian Mint First”
with no mention of the pioneering
Austrian Mint and Plansee
Aktiengesellschaft’s successful collaborative project to develop the “Niobium
insert” technology.
Amusingly, the Royal Canadian Mint website
on its “Full Moon Sterling silver and Niobium coin” page has mentioned “Niobium
metal Inset” instead of “Niobium
metal Insert”, as (Niobium) “Insert”
is a new technology, whereas “Inset” is a commonly used term in Numismatics.
The
2003 “25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin”:
The silver-Niobium
bimetallic coin “700 Jahre Stadt
Hall” (700 years of Hall Town in Tyrol) was conceived and minted in 2003,
beautifully combining the theme of the “past and the future” in an impressive
way. This theme has been carried forward in all the coins issued under this
series by the Austrian mint.
The Obverse of the coin depicted an earth observation satellite
which is scanning the symbolic City map of Hall/Tyrol. Also mentioned on the left Periphery is "Hall in Tirol 2003" and on the right periphery "Republik Osterreich".
This face depicts the present/future under the theme of this coin series.
The Reverse of the coin shows a representation of the “guldiner”, a historical coin which
highlights the Hall/Tyrol as a historical mint. The engraving is in the shape
of a reflection of a medieval “guldiner”
or Tyrolean “guldengroschen” and
gives the impression of a coining die, in other words, the image presents a mirror image of an actual coin. also mentioned on this face on the upper periphery is "700 Jahre" (meaning 700 years) and on the lower periphery "Stadt Hall in Tirol" (meaning Hall City in Tirol). The coining die also bears a mirror image of the date 1486.
This Face depicts a connection to the past under the theme of this coin series.
This face depicts the present/future under the theme of this coin series.
This Face depicts a connection to the past under the theme of this coin series.
As a special
feature for enhancing the visual effect, a unique material property of the
element Niobium, which has the ability to colour the surface of the coin
blanks, by anodic oxidation, was used for the first time for minting these
coins and for these coins, the Niobium based core surface was given a blue
colour.
This was the first coin to
be issued under this innovative Series commemorates the 700th
Anniversary of Hall Town in Tyrol or Tirol. In 1486, in Hall, one of the first
coins to be minted was the “Guldiner”,
which was considered to be a milestone in the history of coins.
The
specifications of the coin are:
Face value: 25 Euros;
Metallic composition: Outer ring: Silver (Ag) 900 – 9 gms, Niobium 998 – 6.50
gms; Diameter: 34 mm; Weight: 16.50 gms; Edge: smooth.
Hall
town in Tyrol:
The first mention of a
settlement in this area comes from a 1256 document. The name is derives
from the German word “hal” meaning a
“salt mine or source of salt”, as a salt mine was the principal source of the
town’s prosperity around that time.
In 1303, Duke Otto
of Carinthia/Tyrol granted Hall the same municipal rights as Innsbruck. The
town grew to be the most important trading town in the north of Tyrol in the
following centuries.
By 1316, the
settlement is mentioned as “Hall im
Inntal”.
In 1342, the
hospital area was established in the Town centre. Centuries later, in 1914,
Hall’s “spital” was re-established as
the District hospital.
Subsequently, the Old Town
area grew and Hall became by far the biggest town in Northern Tyrol.
By 1356, Hall was
granted the right to hold two annual fairs which evolved into major
international events. Initially, these markets were held in the “Salvatorgasse”, but after 1406,
the markets were held on the meadow (Anger), north of Tyrol town.
In 1406, the ruling
prince donated the “Konigshaus” or
the “Royal House” to the town which is used as the Town Hall.
In 1447, a huge
fire destroyed much of the city which was reconstructed and over 300 buildings
were constructed during the reconstruction phase.
In 1452, the town
was granted the “Lendordnung” which
gave the residents the sole rights to trade imported and exported goods
transported on the River Inn. However, the river trade ended some time later
when a timber rake was extended across the river to catch driftwood for burning
in the nearby salt works. The river stayed blocked till around 1857.
In 1670, there was
a violent earthquake which destroyed the major portion of the town which had to
be reconstructed once again, only to be devastated by fire in 1740 once again.
In 1858, the
Railway had come to Hall. The new means of transport led to a decline in
whatever river trade was left and the town fairs also suffered substantially.
By 1930, in
addition to the Salt mines, the town was now dependent on spas or the “Solbad” for their economic prosperity
which still reeled under the effects of the global economic crisis of the 1920s.
The name of the
Town/settlement was changed to “Hall in Tirol” by the 19th
century.
Subsequently, between 1938
and 1974, the town’s name was changed to “Solbad Hall” (as a reminder of the town’s one-time popularity as a
spa town).
In 1967, the salt
mines closed down bringing down curtains on the longest chapter in Hall’s
history as a salt-mining town.
In 1972, the new
Inntal autobahn was completed. The town got a new bridge over the Inn and
direct access to the new Highway which became the most important traffic artery
for the north-south traffic through the Alps.
In 1973, the Old
Town was renovated and 300 houses were renovated which won the first Austrian
State Prize for Conservation (in 1984) and the Council of Europe Flag of Honour
(in 1986). The fine buildings in hall’s Old Town remind one of the settlement’s
prosperous past.
In 2004, Hall
became a University town. Situated on the western outskirts, the UMIT is housed
in the Eduard Wallnofer Centre for Medical innovation.
The
Mint:
In 1477, the
Provincial Mint of Merano (in modern day Italy), in what is now South Tyrol,
moved north to Hall. Initially it was located in Ansitz Sparberegg, but, from 1567 the Mint was shifted to Burg Hasegg (Hasegg Castle) in Hall
which was initially intended to serve as a second coining mint. However, due to
economic and political considerations, the first mint at Ansitz Sparberegg closed down and the mint in Hall became the only
mint for making Tyrolean coins.
Like most medieval mints,
the coins struck at Hall Mint were initially hammer struck.
In 1486, Hall Mint
embossed the “Taler” which was also
called the “Guldiner”. The word
“dollar” i.e. the US currency and that of several countries world-wide have
derived from the German word “Taler”.
From 1550 onwards,
there were several attempts to install mechanical alternatives for the coining
process. Finally, machines were
installed in 1564, but they were not very successful.
Many of the coins bore the
mint marks – “F” (1765-1809), “H”, (1760-1780), “HA” (1746-1765) or an eagle
(1975-1976). The Mint was mainly responsible for minting the area’s own
coinage, but also issued “poltura’
coins for Hungary.
In 1809, the Mint
was closed down due to Napoleonic Wars and the increasing lack of silver
resources. All of Hall’s minting machines were moved to Rosenheim in the same
year.
After Tyrol returned to
Austria, there were attempts to reactivate the mint, but these did not work
out. The Hall Mint and Mint Tower is now a museum where exhibits illustrate the
technology to emboss coins as well as the history of the town. The Mint Museum
also has the Austrian Museum Quality Seal. The Museum documents the history of
the minting machines, Hall in Tirol Mint and the Mint Tower. The prized exhibit
is the reconstruction of a roller minting machine from the 16th
century.
In 1975 – 1976,
Hall Mint in collaboration with the Mint Museum struck coins or medals for
special occasions for example – the Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck and the
500th year Anniversary of the Hall “dollar”. For the 500th year of anniversary
of the Hall, 500 schilling souvenir coins were minted in silver. These coins
were struck after nearly 170 years of inactivity.
The Tyrolean mint was one
of the most important mints in Austria and several other commemorative coins
have been struck with the Mint as the Central theme – a 100 schilling coin in
1977 which marked the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Mint
in Hall, another coin issued in 1986, commemorating the 500th anniversary
of the first “thaler” minted at Hall
and, of course, the first coin issued under Austria’s bimetallic niobium 25
Euro coin Series in 2003, which commemorated the 700th anniversary
of the city of Hall in Tyrol.
The following coins have
been issued in this Series:
2003 – 700 years old city
hall in Tyrol or Tirol.
2004 – 150 years Semmering
Alpine Railway
2005 – 50 years of
Television
2006 – The European
Satellite Navigation
2007 – Austrian Aviators
2008 – Fascinating light
2009 – Year of Astronomy
2010 – Renewable Energy Sources.
2011 – Robotics
2012 – Bionics
2013 – Drilling tunnels
2014 - Evolution
2015 - Cosmology
Links:
1) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: First Coin: "700 Years of Hall City in Tirol or Tyrol"
For posts on COTY (Coin of the Year) winners since 2015 in a competition held by Krause Publications of Germany, please visit the following links:
2015 - Cosmology
Links:
1) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: First Coin: "700 Years of Hall City in Tirol or Tyrol"
Links to posts on Federal Republic of Germany issues and other posts on this blog:
For posts on COTY (Coin of the Year) winners since 2015 in a competition held by Krause Publications of Germany, please visit the following links:
Choudhary Roy S has commented:
ReplyDelete" This is such an interesting topic...Much u go into deep...more it becomes amazing/interesting...Thanks fr the research...U r doing...!
Thank you so much for your extremely encouraging comment/observation. There are nine more very interesting coins in this Series which I am researching on and every time I leave my laptop for going out etc, the first instinct is to get back quickly & carry on with the research.
DeleteSpecifications for 25 euro 2003 (town hall in Tyrol)
ReplyDeletehttps://www.muenzeoesterreich.at/eng/Produkte/700-Years-of-Hall-in-Tyrol
Date of Issue 29. January 2003
Quality Special Uncirculated
Series Silver niobium
Face Value 25 Euro
Coin Design Mag. Helmut Andexlinger, Herbert Wähner
Diameter 34,00 mm
Alloy Silver niobium
Ring Silber Ag 900
Core Niob Nb 99,8
Fine Weight 9,00 g
Total Weight 17,15 g