Austrian 4 Ducat - 13,76 gram gold

4 Ducat gold coin

Like the crowns, Austrian ducats (ducatus = dukedom) are actually among the historical gold coins. Ducats were first minted in Venice in the 13th century. From there they spread throughout Europe and came to Austria at the beginning of the 16th century. Both the 1x and 4x ducat were official currency here until 1858.
Until 1915, the ducats were then still officially produced as trade gold coins. The year 1915 can also be seen on all modern restrikes, as well as Emperor Franz Joseph and the double eagle. This design was first used in 1872. 
Franz Joseph headed the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 68 years, making him one of the longest serving monarchs of modern times.

Please note that the coin offered is an official new mintage of the Austrian Mint. The coins all uniformly bear the year of minting 1915 as the last year of minting of the original coin. Original copies with the minting years 1909 - 1914 are collector's items with sometimes significant price premiums.

Front

On the front of the 1 Ducat gold coins from Austria is the portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph 1 of Austria (1830 - 1916) with a laurel wreath on his head. In 1872, this motif of the Austrian emperor was first chosen for the minting of the gold ducats and is still used today for the restrikes. The inscription on the edge of the 1 ducat gold coin reads: FRANC IOS I D G AVSTRIAE IMPERATOR, which means: Franz Joseph 1 by the Grace of God Emperor of the Austrians.

Back

The back of the 1 ducat gold coins depicts the coat of arms of the Empire of Austria, which includes a double-headed eagle with an escutcheon. Above the eagle's two heads is the Crown of Rudolf, as the crown of the Emperor of Austria is called. The eagle holds an imperial orb in one claw and an imperial sword in the other. Along the edge of the coin is stamped the circumscription LOD ILL REX AA 1915 HVNGAR BOHEM GAL, this translates as King of Lodomeria, Illyria, Hungary, Bohemia and Gaul.

Tradeable sizes:
1 ducat, 4 ducat