Many a novice gold-buyer has picked up an Austrian Corona-series coin and marveled at how a coin minted in 1915 could be in such great condition. And that’s because they weren’t actually minted in 1915. The 1915 100 Corona, 1915 20 Corona, and 1912 10 Corona coins were restrikes produced by the Austrian Mint to cater to individual bullion investors. By being dated before 1933 they were able to skirt around provisions in US law that forbade American investors from possessing gold coins dated after 1933. That made them one of the earliest and most popular bullion coins for American investors.
The Corona-series coins feature the image of Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph on the obverse and the double-headed Austrian imperial eagle on the reverse. The 100 Corona coins remain in production today and remain a popular bullion coin worldwide. Even though the coins are restrikes they nonetheless provide a link to the past of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 100 Corona coins feature 0.9802 troy ounces of gold, slightly less than the one ounce standard of modern bullion coins. That puts them about halfway between the modern American Gold Eagle and the pre-1933 gold $20 double eagle coins. The 100 Corona coin also features one of the lowest gold premiums of any bullion coin, with less than half the premium of the American Gold Eagle. Expect to pay a premium to spot of about 1-2%.
Despite the popularity of the Corona-series coins, they are not eligible for investment through a gold or precious metals IRA because they are only 90% gold. Only modern bullion coinage minted by the US Mint or gold coins with a minimum fineness of 0.995 are eligible for investment through a gold IRA. But if you’re looking for a coin that you can hold in your hand, that is readily available and easily traded, and that has some history behind it, you could probably do worse than buying a Corona-series gold coin.
Coin Specifications
Purity
90% gold
Weight
- 100 Corona: 33.8753 g
- 20 Corona: 6.7751 g
- 10 Corona: 3.3875 g
Gold Content
- 100 Corona: 0.9802 troy oz.
- 20 Corona: 0.1960 troy oz.
- 10 Corona: 0.0980 troy oz.
Diameter
- 100 Corona: 37 mm
- 20 Corona: 21 mm
- 10 Corona: 19 mm
Thickness
- 100 Corona: 2.3 mm
- 20 Corona: 1.4 mm
- 10 Corona: 0.9 mm