8 Gulden Gold Coin
Originally a silver-based currency dating from the 19th century, the Gulden was issued to circulate freely within the Latin Monetary Union, comprising France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. Austria, however, struck its very own impressive 4 and 8 gulden coins in gold up until 1892. Engraved on the coin's reverse, 1892 was the year that Gulden were eventually replaced by Coronas. The Latin Monetary Union, on the other hand, lasted until the run up to the First World War. Its member countries had agreed to issue coins of the same weight, alloy, size and equivalent value. Austria signed a preliminary agreement in 1867 but failed to achieve the currency criterion for membership. The coin's obverse shows the profile of Emperor Franz Joseph, who ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1848 to 1916.