1638) Janus, the Roman God, Austria: Osterreich Mint (Mint of Austria) has issued a 5 Euro Copper Coin depicting the God who holds the key to Good Luck: Date of Coin issue: 02.12.2020:

1638) Janus, the Roman God, Austria: Osterreich Mint (Mint of Austria) has issued a 5 Euro Copper Coin depicting the God who holds the key to Good Luck: Date of Coin issue: 02.12.2020:

For the Ancient Romans, the God Janus held the key to good luck. They would pay homage to Janus on New Year’s Day by giving each other coins upon which his two faces were minted - his old one looking back to the past, his young one optimistically looking forward to the future. 

Those two faces feature on the New Year Coin 2021.

The Header/Banner showcasing the Reverse of the Coin with the two faces - young and old depicted on it. In between the two faces is depicted a key which changes one's luck - for the better.

 It is titled - "ALTES VERGEHT, NEUES ENTSTEHT" (in Austrian), "2021", "JANUS" "Prosit 2021", "MUNZE OESTERREICH"

It is the young one that we need to take inspiration from if we are to overcome the exceptional circumstances of the past year. They have been a severe test, but we are better off facing them with youthful optimism. In this sense, this New Year Coin can help us find the key to a bright future. Out with the old, in with the new!

The month of January gets its name from Janus. Before every undertaking the Ancient Romans would pray for his blessing. Among other things, he was the God of doors and gates and a conciliator between the past and the present. 

Janus also ruled over the daybreak. An opulent temple was dedicated to him in Ancient Rome, the doors of which symbolised that peace was over when they were opened at the start of each new war, enabling Romans to enter and plead for victory.

The Commemorative Coin:

The Obverse and Reverse of the 5 Euro Uncirculated Copper Coin placed side-by-side.

On the Obverse of the nine-sided 5 Euro Copper  Coin is seen the Coat of Arms of the nine  provinces of Austria arranged in a circle.

On this face is also mentioned the Coin's denomination in the centre in numerals - "5".

The peripheral inscriptions read clockwise are - "REPUBLIK OSTERREICH" (meaning "Republic of Austria") and "EURO".

On the Reverse of the nine-sided 5 Euro Copper  Coin is seen the two faces of Janus -  Old and Young.

The doors of the temple of Janus can be seen in the background, above them is a clock face with a starry sky and the sun at one end. The centre foreground is dominated by an ornate key bearing the year "2021" on its bow.

 The two faces of Janus, one old and bearded, the other much younger, look in opposite directions on either side of it.

The specifications of this Coin are:

Country of issue: Republic of Austria; Date of Coin issue: 02.12.2020; Coin Quality: Uncirculated & Proof; Coin Series Theme: "New Year Coins"; Occasion: New Year; Face Value/Denomination: 5 Euro; Coin Designers: Mag. Helmut Andexlinger, Herbert Wähner; Diameter/Size: 28.50 mm; Metal Composition/Alloy: Copper; Total Weight: 8.90 grams; Packaging: Comes without packaging; Mintage: 200,000 (Uncirculated), 50,000 (Proof) pieces.

Links to posts on Austrian Mint Coin issues on this blog:

1) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: First Coin: "700 Years of Hall City in Tirol or Tyrol"

2) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Second Coin: "150 Years of Semmering Alpine Railway"

3) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Third Coin: "50 Years of Television in Austria" 

4) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Fourth Coin: "European Satellite Navigation System"

5) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Fifth Coin: "Austrian Aviators"

6) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Sixth Coin "Fascinating Light"

7) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Seventh Coin: " The International Year of Astronomy"

8) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Eighth Coin: "Renewable Energy"

9) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Ninth Coin: "Robotics"

10) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Tenth Coin: "Bionics"

11) The 25 Euro Silver-Niobium Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint: Eleventh Coin: "Tunnel Construction"

12) The 50 Euro Gold Coin Series: Klimt and his Women: 2012-2016  (includes Coin of the Year 2015 (COTY)

13) Sigmund Freud: The Vienna Schools of Psychotherapy A 3 Coin 50 Euro Gold Coin Series:

14) Alfred Adler: The Vienna schools of Psychotherapy: A 3 coin 50 Euro Gold Coin Series:

15) The 100th Anniversary of the General Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein: Gold and Silver Coins issued by the Royal Mint of Belgium in denominations of 50 Euro (Gold) and 10 Euro (Silver)

16) 825 Years of the Vienna Mint (1194-2018): A Silver Bullion Coin issued by the Austrian Mint, Vienna celebrating the milestone (issuedate: 12/12 - with year of issue engraved as 2019

17) a) Austria: "Chivalry- Knights Tales": The first Coin in a 5 Coin Series to be issued by the Austrian Mint, features Maximilian I (1459-1519): 500th Anniversary of the passing away of the Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria: Issue Date: 10.04.2019

17) b) Austria: "Adventures of the first Crusade - Knights Tales": The second coin in the 5-Coin Series to be issued by the Austrian Mint, features Godfrey of Buillion (1060-1100 AD), one of the leaders of the First Crusade and the coin's theme is "Spirit of Adventure" Coin issue date: 11.09.2019"

17) c) Austria: "Courage - Knight's Tales": The Third Coin in a five Coin Series issued by the Austrian Mint, features the "Knights Templars": Coin issue Date: 15.04.2020

18) "The Magic of Gold Coin Series" from the Mint of Austria: The Gold Coin Series of 100 Euro Gold Coins traces the mysterious nature of gold in ancient cultures: First Coin in the Series depicts King Nebuchadnezzar II (640 B.C. - 562 B.C.): Coin issue date: 16.10.2019

19) "Reaching For The Skies" Austria: First Coin in the series of four Silver Coins brought out by the Mint of Austria (Osterreich Mint): Coin Issue Date: 23.01.2019

20) The Wiener Musikverein, Vienna, Austria: 150th Anniversary of the opening of the legendary Musikverein Concert Hall in 1870: Two 5 Euro Commemorative New Year 2020 dated Coins being issued by the Austrian Mint - one in Silver and the other in Copper on 04.12.2019

21) 100 Years of the Salzburg Festival, Austria (1920-2020): Austrian Post has issued a postage stamp celebrating the milestone: Date of Stamp issue: 21.01.2020

22) Hedy Lemarr, Austria:" Austrian Inventions" Stamp Series: A postage stamp brought out by Austrian Post honours the contribution to the "Frequency Hopping Spread spectrum" which aided the Allies to steer torpedoes in World War II: Stamp issue date: 221.01.2020

23) "Vocklabrucker Christus" - St. Giles Church, Vocklabruck, Austria: "Religious Art in Austria" Stamp Series: Date of Stamp issue: 06.03.2020

24) Brigette Kowanz, Austria: "Opportunity - An illuminating Message": A stamp issue in the "Contemporary Art in Austria" Series: Date of Stamp issue: 17.03.2020

25) Lipizzaner Horses - "Friends For Life," Austria: 5 Euro Coins in Copper and Silver minted by the Austrian Mint as an Easter Celebration, depict Lipizzaner horses from the iconic Spanish Riding School in Vienna: Date os Coin issue: 11.03.2020

_{^{26) "Ancient Postal Routes - Historical Postal Routes Thurn & Taxis", Austria" Stamp issue date: 06.05.2020}}

_{^{27) Airbus A380, Austria: Third Coin in the coin Series titled: "Toward The Skies": A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin minted by the Mint of Austria: Date of Coin issue: 13.05.2020}}

_{^{28) 125 Years of Swarovski, The Great Sparkle, Austria: A postage stamp of 4.30 Euro issued by Osterreichische Post AG (Austrian Post) celebrating the milestone: Date of Stamp issue: 18.07.2020}}

_{^{29) Uhudler Wine, Austria: A postage stamp brought out by Oesterreichische Post AG (Austrian Post), celebrating the world-famous wine on 19.09.2020}}

_{^{30) "ORF Light of Peace from Bethlehem,"" Joint issue by "Seterreichische Post AG (Austrian Post) and "Ufficio Filetelica e Numismatico Vaticano"(Vatican City Post): Stamps issue date: 20.11.2020}}

_{^{31) The "Rainbow Serpent" (Serpent Creator - Australia), Austria: A 20 Euro Silver Coin minted by the Mint of Austria, Vienna depicting the Serpent that Aboriginal Australians consider as the "Creator of the World": Date of Coin issue: 04.01.2021}}

_{^{32) Janus, the Roman God, Austria: Osterreich Mint (Mint of Austria) has issued 5 Euro Copper Coin depicting the God who holds the key to Good Luck: Date of Coin issue:02.12.2020}}

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:

1) Did You Know Series (25) : The prestigious Krause Publications Annual World Coin Competition - Winners of the COTY 2015 and other 10 Category winners

2) Krause Publications Awards Coin of the Year and other Category winners - 2016

3) Coin of the Year and winners of the  sub-categories- 2017

Links to posts on Federal Republic of Germany issues and other posts on this blog:

1) Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig: Celebrating the 275th Anniversary: A 20 Euro Uncirculated silver Coin issued by the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) on 08.03.2018

2) Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss: A 10 Mark German banknote issued commemorating his contributions in 1990 which was in circulation till 2001 

3) Planet Earth: The World's first "Tri-material" Coin - with an outer ring, inner core and an embossable blue polymer ring: An innovative 5 Euro Polymer coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016

4) The Tropics Climate Zone (Climates of Earth) Coin Series: The second "tri-material Coin - with an outer ring,inner core and an embossable red polymer ring: Innovative Coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany on 27.04.2017

5) Sub-Tropical Climate Zone: ("Climate Zones of Earth Coin Series"): The second "tri-material" Coin in the Series - with an outer ring, inner core and an embossable orange polymer ring, innovative coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany on 26.04.2018

6) In the Air: A 10 Euro Coin: The first Coin in the 3 coin Bimetal/Polymer coin "Tri-material" Coin Series titled "Air Moves", to be issued in April 2019

7) Temperate Climate Zone: (Climates of Earth Coin Series): The third "tri-material" Coin in the Series - with an outer ring, inner core and an embossable green polymer ring: Innovative coin being issued by the Federal Republic of Germany in September 2019

8) Graf Zeppelin: A 20 Dollar Silver coin and a 5 Dollar Gold Coin issued by Cook Islands in April 2017 to commemorate the 100th Death Anniversary of Count Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August von Zeppelin (08.07.1838 - 08.03.1917)

9) A "Hundert Mark" (Hundred Mark) Reichbanknote dated 1st November 1920 tells a tale of a time when hyperinflation was rampant in Germany after World War I

10) 100th Anniversary of the Weimar Constitution: A 20 Euro Silver Coin issued by the German Federal Government: Coin Minted by the Berlin Mint: Year of issue: 2019:

11) "An Land" (On The Land): A 10 Euro Coin: The second "Tri-material" Coin in the Series titled "Air Moves" - with an outer ring, inner core and an embossable polymer ring: Innovative coin issued by the Federal Republic of Germany in 2020

For some other interesting posts from Italy/The Vatican, please visit the following links:

1) Historic Sassi (meaning "The Stones of Matera"): (I Sassi di Matera Basilicata): "Italy of the Arts Series": (Serie Italia della Arti): A 10 Euro Proof Silver Coin issued by the "Istituto Poligrafico Zecca Della Stato" (IPZS) on 19.09.2017 

2) 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Vatican City State (1929-2009): A Vatican Euro Coin Set depicting Pope Benedict XVI on the Obverse, issued by Vatican City Mint in 2009

3) Amatrice: "Art Treasures of Amartice", Italy: A 5 Euro Bimetallic Commemorative Coin issued by Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS) on 06.08.2018

4) Marco Polo, Explorer, Italy (1254-8/9.01.1324): A 10 Euro Silver Coin issued by Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca di Stato, the Italian State Mint (2018)

5) Vespa, Italy: "Italian Excellence Collector Coin Series": A 5 Euro Silver Coin in three selectively coloured variants brought out by "Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato (IPZS) on 12.04.2019

6) Israel-Vatican Joint Issue: Celebrating 25 Years of diplomatic relations between Israel & the Holy See: A Commemorative Stamp issued jointly by Israel Philatelic Service & the Holy See Numismatic Service/Vatican Post: Stamp issue date: 10.09.2019

7) Michelangelo's "Pieta", Vatican City: New Copper Coin Series titled "Art and Faithy": A 10 Euro Copper Coin minted by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato" (IPZS) on behalf of the "Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico Governatorato della Cotta del Vaticano": Coin issue date: 05.03.2020

8) Ancient Postal Routes, Vatican City State: EUROPA 2020 Theme: Two stamps of 1.10 Euro and 1.15 Euro issued by the Ufficio filatelico e Numismatico -Governatorato, Vaticano featuring Ancient Postal Routes emanating from the Vatican City State during the 6th & 11th Centuries AD

9) The mystery of the Gold Medal which has not been minted by the Vatican, as confirmed by the Vatican Philatelic & Numismatic Division