Austria 100 Euro Gold Coin 2013 The Red Deer, Series: Wildlife in Our Sights
Guaranteed to excite all nature lovers, Wildlife in our Sights is a sumptuous six-coin series of gold coins celebrating the diversity of Europe's native wildlife and its natural habitats. One of the continent’s largest and most iconic land mammals, the red deer features in all its splendour on the handsome first coin in the series.
Known as the “Monarch of the Glen” due to the majestic antlers of the stag, which are used during the rutting season to intimidate rivals, the Red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of Europe‘s largest and most iconic land mammals. Minted in 2013, this coin was struck in .986 fine gold and has an agw of .5072 and was made exclusively in Proof quality with a maximum mintage of 30,000 pieces.
The natural habitat for the Red Deer is upland forests and moorland but they spend the winter in lower-lying areas and river floodplains, where food is easier to find. In some cultures, dreaming of deer symbolizes success and wealth to come. On that front, the purchase of this half ounce-gold coin would make a great start.
The coin’s obverse shows an imposing alpha male in its natural habitat roaring during the rutting period. Often triggered by the sight of rival stags, this mating call is a vocal display designed to intimidate and ward them off. If unimpressed, rival stags may lock antlers in an attempt to force one another from the field of battle in a ferocious and sometimes fatal struggle.
On the coin’s reverse, a proud stag stands guard over his family amid dense woodland containing other wildlife such as a frog and an otter. The lower part of each coin in the series is exquisitely decorated with an ornate design that gives the series its distinctive character.