The 1909 date is one of the scarcer emissions in this short-lived type, which ran only from 1900 through 1907 for circulation strikes before production wound down — making 1909 a proof-only year. Pieces dated 1909 were struck exclusively for presentation and collector purposes at the Vienna Mint, not for general commerce.
Francis Joseph I was 79 years old when these were struck, nine years before his death would help unravel the Habsburg dynasty entirely.
The 1909 date is one of the scarcer emissions in this short-lived type, which ran only from 1900 through 1907 for circulation strikes before production wound down — making 1909 a proof-only year. Pieces dated 1909 were struck exclusively for presentation and collector purposes at the Vienna Mint, not for general commerce.
Francis Joseph I was 79 years old when these were struck, nine years before his death would help unravel the Habsburg dynasty entirely.