Austrian Ducats are among the highest purity gold coins ever issued for circulation.
Ducats were issued by Austria in 1612, and probably earlier. The last regular issue of ducats was in 1914. All the Austrian ducats dated 1915 are restrikes, of which there were 996,721 struck between 1920 and 1936. One-Ducat coins dated 1915 are still being produced by the Austrian Mint as official restrikes.
As ducats have inherited their design and appearance from medieval gold coins, they are very thin compared with modern coins, at just 0.8 mm's thick.
Obverse: The laureate head of Emperor Franz Joseph I with the inscription “FRANC IOS I D G AUSTRIAE IMPERATOR”
Reverse: Arms of Austria superimposed upon a crowned double-headed Imperial eagle with the inscription HUNGAR BOHEM GAL LOD ILL REX A A 1915
Collectors should note that these beautiful coins are a bullion issue, not having any real value in a numismatic sense.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Face Value |
Diameter |
Proof |
Coin weight
in grams |
Gold weight
in grams |
Gold weight in
Troy ounces (oz) |
| 20 Frank |
21 mm |
900 |
6.4516 |
5.806 |
0.1867 | |
20 mm
986
3.442g
