The Austrian version of the gold bullion or 24 carat gold coin is the Philharmonica or Philharmoniker, first produced in 1989 in the Austrian mint in Vienna. Its design celebrates the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

The gold quality of the coin is 0.9999 which is equal to the Canadian Maple which is the finest quality coin in production.
On one side of the coin is the Great organ which is situated in the Great Hall of the Vienna concert hall which is called the Musikverein, Republik Ostereich, one unze gold 999.9 the year and value 100 Euro.

The other side has Weider Philharmoniker and various harmonious instruments depicting the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. As with all other Gold bullion coins the Philharmonics are available in different sizes, one ounce, half, quarter and one tenth.

All coins before 2002 the face value is in Austrian Schillings, and all coins from 2002 to present are in Euros. Unlike the Krugrrand the Austrian Philharmoniker is a very pretty coin and very well minted with crisp clear designs on both sides of the gold coin.

You can also buy old gold coins from Austria such as the one ducat gold coin which is approximately 23 and ¾ carat gold and weighed 3.5 grams these were first in circulation from 1598 they were used in various European countries as legal tender and more modern versions of the coin ie 20th century versions are easily obtainable.

There is also a Four Ducat gold coin which is bigger and heavier weighing about 14 grams and first produced in 1612. As the Ducats were 23 and ¾ carat gold they were the highest purity gold coins ever issued for general circulation.

Long before krugrrands were ever thought of Austria was producing its own large gold coin this was the 100 Corona. These coins were 0.900 fineness and weighed nearly 34 grams and were produced between 1908 and 1914 although you can get commemorative coins with the date 1915 commemorating the death of Franz Joseph in 1916.

There is also a 20 Corona gold coin which again is 0.900 fineness and weighs nearly 7 grams these coins were produced between 1892 and 1916. Another older gold coin is the 25 Schilling which was produced between 1926 to 1938 again was 0.900 fineness and weighed just under 6 grams.

You can also get commemorative 1,000 schilling gold coins which were issued in 1976, 1993 and 1995. The 1976 coin had a fineness of 0.900 and weighed 13.5 grams and celebrated the 1000 year Babenberger dynasty. Bothe the 1993 and 1995 gold coins were of 0.9860 fineness and weighed just over 16 grams the 1993 depicted mother theresia and the1995 the 50th anniversary of the second republic.

They also produce a 50 Euro commemorative coin of 0.9869 fineness weighing about 10 grams. The only years they have produced this gold coin so far is 2002, 2003 and 2004. These coins are quite attractive and would also make a great addition to any gold coin collection.

The Chinese Panda gold coins were first produced in 1982 but due to the higher premiums charged by the Chinese mint they cost a lot more than equivalent gold coins from other countries. Lots of countries now produce a one ounce bullion gold coin and the Chinese version is the Panda. Due to the Krugerrand being the first one ounce gold bullion coins to be produced everyone compares their coins with Krugerrands.

When Chinese gold pandas were first introduced they were very successful and were in great demand from coin collectors, people buying coins just for gold value were not interested due to their high price panda mania continued until about 1987 and some coins were selling for over £2000, however the demand for pandas has decreased in recent years, making it hard to get hold of coins minted in certain years. These years make the value of coins produced a lot more than other gold coins of similar weight and size.

Chinese Pandas are available in the same sizes and weights as other gold bullion coins in 1/20, 1/101/4, ½ and1 ounce sizes. They are all made from 24ct gold or .999 fineness and have face values on them in Yauns. One side of the coin has The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Chinese characters saying Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo which means Peoples Republic of China and the year. If the theme is a commemorative issue this will also be marked on this side. The other side of the coin has different portraits of Pandas depending on the year, except 2001/2002 which shared the same design.

These Chinese panda gold coins are a great addition to any coin collection but if you are just collecting gold coins for their gold content then Chinese Pandas may be a bit too expensive. However due to Pandas becoming harder to buy or find there market price has increased making the panda one of the rare gold coins to collect.