To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II, the Austrian mint has released two €5 coins, available in copper and silver versions, in 2025.
The 2025 Dance Away Uncirculated copper and Special Uncirculated .925 fine silver coins “help transform the start of the new year into an inspiring experience filled with lightness and joy”, according to the mint’s website.
The coin’s design is a tribute to the “Waltz King” Johann Strauss II, but mostly dancer and choreographer Grete Wiesenthal. This famous Austrian was a dancer, actor, choreographer, and dance teacher. She transformed the Viennese Waltz from a staple of the ballroom into a wildly ecstatic dance. She trained at the Vienna Court Opera but developed her own more expressive approach. In addition to Strauss, she created ballets to music by Franz Schreker, Clemens von Franckenstein, and Franz Salmhofer. She is considered a leading figure in modern dance in Austria and appeared in numerous countries along with her sisters.
Her Wikipedia page is worth visiting.
Helmut Andexlinger designed the coin, which shows Austria’s nine provincial coats of arms on the obverse and a solo woman dancing, in a ball gown, on the reverse. Both versions of the coin measure 28.5 millimeters in diameter.
The copper version weighs 8.9 grams and has a mintage limit of 200,000 pieces. The silver coin weighs 8.41 grams and has a mintage limit of 50,000 pieces.
Details on the Austrian Mint website.
(Michael Leahy. Photo: Münze Österreich)