The Capercaillie coin is part of Austria's "Birds of Austria" gold series, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and drew on the country's tradition of wildlife imagery in high-denomination issues. The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) has been a protected species in Austria since the 1970s, its populations having collapsed across much of central Europe due to forestry practices and habitat fragmentation — a fact that lends the subject matter a degree of documentary weight beyond decoration.
The .986 fineness places this fractionally above the standard .9999 fine benchmark, consistent with the older Goldgulden-derived alloying tradition the Austrian Mint has maintained for certain prestige series.
The Capercaillie coin is part of Austria's "Birds of Austria" gold series, which ran from 2014 to 2016 and drew on the country's tradition of wildlife imagery in high-denomination issues. The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) has been a protected species in Austria since the 1970s, its populations having collapsed across much of central Europe due to forestry practices and habitat fragmentation — a fact that lends the subject matter a degree of documentary weight beyond decoration.
The .986 fineness places this fractionally above the standard .9999 fine benchmark, consistent with the older Goldgulden-derived alloying tradition the Austrian Mint has maintained for certain prestige series.