History of the Vienna Philharmonic Gold Coin
The Vienna Philharmonic gold coin is a popular form of gold bullion investment that has been among the best selling gold coins in the world for several decades. They were first minted in 1989 to pay tribute to the legendary Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and remain a popular way to hold gold in bullion form throughout the world to this day.
Gold Content and Purity of Vienna Philharmonic Gold Coins
The Vienna Philharmonic gold coins are struck in 24 karat gold, or pure gold of 999.9 fineness. This makes them comparable in purity to
Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins. The Vienna Philharmonic gold coins are purer than the popular
American Eagle gold bullion coins, which are 22 karat gold (meaning 22 parts pure gold 2 parts silver and copper, or 91.6% purity). This results in Vienna Philharmonic gold coins being considerably softer and more susceptible to wear and tear.
Denomination and Legal Tender Status of Vienna Philharmonic Gold Coins
The Vienna Philharmonic gold coins are available in a variety of bullion sizes, including 1 Troy ounce, 1/2 Troy ounce, 1/4 Troy Ounce, and 1/10 Troy ounce, making them ideal for gold bullion investors. Even though the coins are legal tender in Euro currency, this is largely symbolic because these coins trade on the value of the gold spot price (e.g., as of today, the price of a 1 Troy ounce version is around $1,435, which translates into roughly €1,050, or 10x the face value of the coin).
- 1 Troy Ounce Vienna Philharmonic Gold Bullion Coin
Face Value: €100.00, Diameter: 37 mm, Thickness: 2 mm
- 1/2 Troy Ounce Vienna Philharmonic Gold Bullion Coin
Face Value: €50.00, Diameter: 28 mm, Thickness: 1.8 mm
- 1/4 Troy Ounce Vienna Philharmonic Gold Bullion Coin
Face Value: €25.00, Diameter: 22 mm, Thickness: 1.2 mm
- 1/2 Troy Ounce Vienna Philharmonic Gold Bullion Coin
Face Value: €10.00, Diameter: 16 mm, Thickness: 1.14 mm
Liquidity of Vienna Philharmonic Gold Coins
As one of the most popular ways to invest in gold bullion, the Vienna Philharmonic coins enjoy a highly liquid market and are recognized by gold dealers throughout the world. As a result, they can be bought and sold with relative ease. As with all bullion traded in gold coin form, the markup over the spot price of gold is going to be larger than if you are buying and selling large quantities in bar form, but they are still very reasonable and make investing in gold financially possible for smaller investors.
Silver Edition of the Vienna Philharmonic Gold Coins
Since February 2008, the Vienna Philharmonic bullion coins have been minted in silver. The silver version of the coins have a face value of €1.50 (which remains largely symbolic, just like their gold counterparts, because the spot value of silver as of today is €23.82).
