The first in Austria’s “Great Composers” series, this gold coin honors Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) with his portrait on its obverse. Haydn was one of the most innovative composers of his time, especially in the development of chamber music such as the piano trio. He was a mentor and friend of Mozart and a tutor of Beethoven. Both composers later learned from and built upon his work.
The reverse depicts a staff of music above Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, where Haydn lived and worked. Many of his works were composed and premiered there. Today, Eisenstadt is the site of an annual Haydn festival.
Haydn worked for nearly forty years in the service of the Esterházy family. He passed away from illness (believed to be arteriosclerosis) on May 31, 1809 at the age of 77.
This coin, while graded “Mint State” by PCGS, is described as “Proof” by the issuing Mint, and could more accurately be described as Reverse Proof. The devices are reflective, while the fields are frosted. This leads to dramatic highlights and shadows on the obverse portrait and intricate reverse.
Later coins in this series honor Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Each of the three coins are just about 1/3oz gold, so that the series together totals roughly 1oz of gold.
