2016-02-16 Tue

A gold necklace adorned with 17 .900 fine gold Austrian coins realized $3,643 against an estimate of $2,500 to $3,000 during Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles’ most recent auction on 2nd and 3rd February.

17 coins on the 1.5-ounce rope chain comprised of a total of 2.5482 ounces of gold. Sixteen of the coins were 1912-dated restrikes of the 10-corona piece, all suspended near the central coin, which was a 100-corona restrike dated 1915.

Though the 100-corona coin was minted in Austria and Hungary between 1908 and 1914, 1915-dated examples were struck in 1916 to commemorate the reign of Franz Josef I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.

The Austro-Hungarian empire issued Gold 10-corona coins for the first time in 1892. The last issue of these coins was in 1911 during the last years of the reign of Franz Joseph I. After his death in 1916, official restrikes were issued as commemorative pieces, all bearing the date 1912.

The obverse of both denominations shows a right facing bust of Franz Josef I, surrounded by a legend in Latin. The reverses carry the crowned arms of the Austro-Hungarian empire, date and value.