2000 Schilling Vienna Philharmonic, Gold Bullion Coinage

Austria launched the Philharmonic in 1989 partly to compete directly with the South African Krugerrand and the American Gold Eagle, both of which had dominated the bullion market through the 1980s. The decision to strike at .9999 fineness — rather than the .9167 of the Krugerrand — was a deliberate commercial differentiator, and it worked: within a few years the Philharmonic had become the best-selling gold bullion coin in Europe and frequently ranked first globally by volume.

The denomination is expressed in Schillings only through 2001, when Austria adopted the euro. That transition date makes the Schilling-denominated issues a closed series.