Austrian 10 Groschen

The Austrian 10 Groschen was struck from aluminum, a material choice driven by post-war scarcity that kept production costs low and the coin featherlight in your palm.

This made it practical for everyday use in a recovering economy, though its thin profile meant it bent easily in pockets, a nuisance for users but a boon for scrap metal scavengers. We know it entered circulation in 1952 as part of the schilling system, replacing older currencies, and persisted until the euro's arrival in 2002. Design-wise, the obverse typically showed the Austrian coat of arms, while the reverse listed the denomination—simple, functional, and unchanged for decades.

Mintage figures vary by year, and records aren't always precise; some estimates suggest millions per annum, but I'd rather not guess. If you're handling one, note the edge is reeded, a detail that deters counterfeiting without much success in the wild.

Plenty of myths swirl about these coins being rare variants, but most are just worn circulation pieces.