27 August 2025  New School Year, New Appreciation for Unsung Design RolesAs students head back to school this fall, it's worth pausing on how many creative professions go under-the-radar—yet shape our daily lives. Think engraving or metal design: seldom visible, but everywhere around us. Many encounter these works daily, from the coins in their pockets to subtle details in public design. And though the idea of an artist living in poverty is common, skilled craftspeople like engravers can indeed earn a solid living—especially when artistry meets craftsmanship. Engraving and metalwork combine manual skill with artistic eye. In Austria, learning these crafts often overlaps with jewellery making—school programs teach gold- and silversmithing alongside engraving. Across Austria—from east to west—young people can train in these fields, drawing on a deep tradition.This tradition recently took centre stage: the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich) highlighted engraving education in its press release celebrating its trophies at the 2025 Coin of the Year Awards. Rooted in Centuries: Engraving Education in AustriaAustria's engraving mastery springs from institutions founded centuries ago. In 1772, Emperor's favour united the Viennese art schools into the k.k. Akademie der bildenden Künste. Before that, the Kupferstecher-Akademie (1766) and the Graveur-Akademie (1734) laid the groundwork. These lineages feed directly into Austria's institutional excellence in engraving, design, and minting today.The Austrian Mint's engraving department echoes this heritage. Engravers work closely with toolmakers, production, and marketing—ideas flow in team discussions, with heart, soul, and precision guiding each coin. (Source: Interview with Münze Österreich designers.) Coin of the Year Awards: Austria's Stellar Sweep in 2025Since 1984, the Coin of the Year (COTY) competition—presented by World Coin News and held at the American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money—has honoured global excellence in coin design.In 2025, more than 500 coins dated 2024 from around the globe were nominated. A panel selected the top 100 finalists; from these, category winners were chosen—then, the final winner: the overall Coin of the Year. Austria shone, capturing four awards: • Most Artistic Coin and overall Coin of the Year: 20 € silver "Supernova"—its concave face shows a colourized Crab Nebula from a Hubble image. • Most Historically Significant Coin: 20 € silver "Salt Mining – White Gold of Hallstatt". • Best Bi-Metallic Coin: 25 € silver-niobium "Edaphon – The Living Soil". A Dazzling Debut: "Supernova" in FocusThe Supernova coin starts Austria's "The Beauty of the Universe" series. Its concave obverse depicts the Crab Nebula in vibrant colour, based on imagery from the Hubble telescope; the reverse continues the cosmic theme. Engraver Helmut Andexlinger—an influential figure at the mint since 1996 and head of the Münze Österreich design team—is responsible for the design. In a tight final vote, just six ballots separated the top three contenders; Supernova triumphed with its unique shape and vibrant palette.Material vs. Immaterial Value: When Design Weighs More Than MetalArt, design, and craft enrich our lives—often unseen, yet profoundly felt. In coin collecting, the weight of gold or silver matters most. Yet at awards like COTY, it's the immaterial value—innovation, aesthetics, emotion—that wins the day. Here, material value took a back seat: the immaterial value shone brightest.Image: Austria’s award-winning 'Supernova' 20 € silver coin from 'The Beauty of the Universe' series features a distinctive wavy edge, a concave obverse depicting the Crab Nebula and its pulsar, and a convex reverse. The coloured design, based on a Hubble Space Telescope image, highlights the stellar explosion recorded in 1054, combining scientific detail with innovative minting craftsmanship. Photo: © Münze Österreich AG. |