2021-01-05 Tue

We have all said goodbye to the depressing year of 2020. After the long year of lockdown and fear of COVID, we all need a bit of luck to help us deal with the New Year. In the hope of Good Luck, Austria Mint has issued a New Year commemorative coin depicting Janus – the Roman God of Good Luck.

The month of January gets its name from Janus. Before every undertaking, the Ancient Romans would pray for his blessing. Among other things, he was the god of doors and gates and a conciliator between the past and the present. Janus also ruled over the daybreak. An opulent temple was dedicated to him in Ancient Rome.

The obverse of this Five Euro coin depicts Face value 5 surrounded by the shields of the nine Austrian federated states: Vienna, Burgenland, Upper Austria, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Styria, Lower Austria, Salzburg and Tyrol. Legend: REPUBLIK OSTERREICH / EURO.

The reverse of the coin features A representation of the Roman god Janus and a key on which is engraved the year of issue 2021; on the right, a personified sun; in the upper part, the inscriptions XI, XII, I and II, respectively 11, 12, 1 and 2 in Roman numerals.

The New Austrian Coin has his two faces minted on it. The old one is looking back to the past, his young one optimistically looking forward to the future.

Image Courtesy: elyseesnumismatique.com