Logo Title
obverse
reverse
NumisCorner
Context
Years: 1974–2001
Issuer: Austria Issuer flag
Period:
(since 1945)
Currency:
(1945—2001)
Demonetization: 28 February 2002
Total mintage: 333,459,500
Material
Diameter: 26 mm
Weight: 6.25 g
Thickness: 1.46 mm
Shape: Round
Composition: Nickel (Nickel-plated Nickel)
Magnetic: Yes
Technique: Milled
Alignment: Medal alignment
Obverse
OBVERSE ↑
flip
Reverse
REVERSE ↑
References
KM: #Click to copy to clipboard2918
Numista: #743
Value
Exchange value: 10 ATS
Inflation-adjusted value: 50.24 ATS

Obverse

Description:
Austrian eagle holding the national shield.
Inscription:
• REPUBLIK •

ÖSTERREICH
Translation:
REPUBLIC

AUSTRIA
Script: Latin
Language: German
Engraver: Kurt Bodlak

Reverse

Description:
Lower Austrian woman in traditional headgear, flanked by the denomination and date.
Inscription:
SCHILLING 1987

10

WELZ
Script: Latin
Engraver: Ferdinand Welz

Edge

Reeded

Mints

NameMark
Münze Österreich

Mintings

YearMint MarkMintageQualityCollection
197459,877,000
197475,500Proof
197549,000Proof
197516,869,500
197613,459,500
197644,000Proof
19773,804,000
197744,000Proof
19786,813,000
197843,000Proof
197911,702,000
197944,000Proof
198010,884,000
198048,000Proof
19819,470,000
198149,000Proof
19824,950,000
198250,000Proof
198365,000Proof
19838,993,000
19847,936,000
198465,000Proof
19859,009,000
198545,000Proof
19868,189,000
198642,000Proof
19879,258,000
198742,000Proof
19889,011,000
198839,000Proof
198938,000Proof
198916,233,000
199027,150,000
199035,000Proof
199118,000,000
199127,000Proof
199210,952,000
199225,000Proof
199312,500,000
199328,000Proof
199415,000,000
199425,000Proof
199512,500,000
199527,000Proof
199625,000Proof
199612,500,000
199725,000Proof
199711,000,000
19985,000,000
199825,000Proof
199950,000
20001,175,000
200075,000Proof
200175,000

Historical background

In 1974, Austria's currency situation was defined by its participation in the "European currency snake," a multilateral agreement aimed at reducing exchange rate fluctuations between European Community members and associated states like Austria. This system, formally known as the European Exchange Rate Agreement, required member currencies to maintain their values within a narrow band (a "tunnel") against each other, while collectively floating against the U.S. dollar. For Austria, a small, open economy with deep trade ties to Western Europe, the primary objective was to maintain stability against its key trading partner, the Deutsche Mark (DM), thereby anchoring its own economic credibility and controlling inflation.

Domestically, the Austrian Schilling was managed with a strong emphasis on stability, a legacy of the hyperinflation traumas of the 1920s. The Austrian National Bank (OeNB) pursued a hartwährungspolitik (hard currency policy), informally shadowing the DM even before formally joining the snake in 1971. This policy was largely successful; inflation in Austria, while rising due to the global oil crisis, remained significantly lower than in many peer nations. However, the fixed exchange rate regime limited the OeNB's ability to use independent monetary policy to combat the stagflationary pressures of the time, as interest rates had to be aligned to support the currency peg.

The year 1974 was a challenging test for this arrangement. The collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971-73 and the first oil price shock of 1973 created immense volatility in global markets and divergent economic pressures across Europe. Maintaining the required parity within the snake demanded significant foreign exchange interventions and strict fiscal discipline. While Austria successfully kept the Schilling stable within the mechanism throughout 1974, the inherent strains of the system were becoming clear, foreshadowing the eventual difficulties that would lead to periodic realignments and, ultimately, the snake's evolution into the European Monetary System (EMS) later in the decade.
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