5 Euros (Duerer's Young Hare)

The 2016 Austrian 5 Euro coin featuring Albrecht Dürer’s Young Hare was issued by the Austrian Mint as part of their long-running series celebrating cultural and natural heritage. This specific design commemorates one of the most famous nature studies in art history, originally rendered by Dürer in watercolor and gouache in 1502. The coin serves to bring Renaissance mastery into the hands of modern collectors, grounding classical art within the practical format of a circulating legal tender commemorative piece.

The design was crafted by the Austrian Mint’s master engravers, who faced the challenge of translating Dürer’s intricate, textured brushwork—particularly the fine detail of the hare’s fur—into the relief of a coin. The obverse features the standard Austrian state heraldry, while the reverse captures the attentive, cautious posture of the animal. Upon its release, the coin was well-received for its artistic fidelity and the Mint’s technical ability to replicate such a delicate historical work on a small, metallic canvas.