Austria 2008 Euro coins Proof set

Austria chose to produce a series of coins illustrating flowers, architecture and famous people from its history. The designs were chosen by a national panel and public opinion poll. Austrian artist Josef Kaiser created the designs.

Two euro coin bears a portrait of the pacifist Bertha von Suttner, a symbol of Austria's efforts over many decades to support peace. Edge lettering of the €2 coin: 2 EURO ***, repeated four times, alternately upright and inverted.
On one euro coin is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous Austrian composer, in reference to Austria as a land of music.
50 cent coin shows the secession building in Vienna, illustrating the birth of art nouveau in Austria. The building symbolises the birth of a new age and represents a bridge to a new monetary era.
20 cent coin design features the Belvedere Palace, one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Austria. It was here that the treaty re-establishing the sovereignty of Austria was signed in 1955, making its name synonymous with freedom.
St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the jewels of Viennese Gothic architecture and a popular tourist venue, is depicted on 10 cent coin.
5 cent coin features alpine primroses, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.
2 cent coin features an edelweiss, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.
1 cent coin features a gentian, as part of a floral series, symbolising a duty to the environment and the part Austria is playing in the development of a Community environmental policy.

The euro coin series comprises eight different denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent, €1 and €2. The euro coins have a common side and a national side. The national side indicates the issuing country. The common sides of the coins were designed by Mr Luc Luycx of the Royal Belgian Mint.
They show images of the European Union or of Europe and symbolise the unity of the EU. The 5, 2 and 1 cent coins show Europe in relation to Africa and Asia on a globe.
You can use any euro coin anywhere in the euro area.