1.5 euro - Robin Hood - 825th Anniversary of the Austrian Mint

The three coins celebrating the 825th Anniversary of the Vienna Mint are all linked to the ransom paid to Duke Leopold V of Austria for the release of King Richard the Lionheart of England in 1194. They also all contain one ounce of fine silver, the precious metal used to pay the huge ransom. Robin Hood, the subject of the third and final coin in the series, is the hero of numerous ballads dating from the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Over the centuries, his portrayal evolved from an outlaw into the righteous character who stole from the rich to give to the poor. It was Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe, published in 1820, which forged the classic Robin Hood myth that prevails today. Whether Robin Hood really existed is uncertain. What is clearer, however, is that the taxation imposed on the people of England in order to raise the huge ransom caused violent social unrest in the country, which historians believe led to the origin of the legend of Robin Hood. While the coin’s reverse features the ‘King of Thieves’, the obverse features Leopold V’s equestrian seal, which shows the Duke as a military commander on horseback with a shield and a banner. The original image can be found in the Monastery of Heiligenkreuz, near Vienna. This obverse is common the all three coins in the 825th Anniversary of the Vienna Mint series, which can be traded at the daily silver price, yet also feature a design worthy of a coveted collector piece. As such they can be considered as both investments and collector coins.