2011 100€ Gold The Crown of St Wenceslas

Crowns of the Habsburgs Series – Coin 3 of 5

Immortalized in the popular Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas, the Duke of Bohemia became the patron saint of the Czechs following his assassination in AD 935. The crown crafted in his honor is likewise immortalized in this expertly engraved coin by Herbert Wähner.

The fourth in our Crowns of the House of Habsburg series, the coin depicts the fantastic gold crown resting on a cushion in the depths of the cathedral of St Vitus in Prague on its obverse. The Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, posthumously bestowed the title of ‘King’ on Wenceslas and in 1575 the crown was used to crown Rudolph II King of Bohemia. The latter can be seen on the coin’s reverse in robes typical of the Renaissance, as can three of the statues from the Charles Bridge in Prague. Rudolph moved the imperial court from Vienna to the Czech capital following the death of his father Emperor Maximilian II, making it, for a time, the intellectual and cultural capital of Central Europe. Parts of its old city are depicted in the background.

Struck in 986 fine gold, exclusively in Proof quality with a maximum mintage of 30,000 pieces, each coin comes in an attractive box with a numbered certificate of authenticity as well as a replica lapel pin. A prestigious collection case for the whole series of five coins may be purchased separately.

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