Austria. Latest Gold Proof Coins in Popular Collector Series Features Composer Hilde Loewe-Flatter

Dedicated to the accomplishments of Austrian women in five fields of profession, the first coin was released in 2023. The series when completed next year will feature five of Austria’s great women and highlights their achievements in the arts and sciences. The series explores creative and talented woman in Austria during the late-19th and early-20th centuries and focuses on both the obstacles and ultimate successes these women achieved in their five different fields.

Born in Vienna in 1895, Hilde Loewe became one of the most sought-after piano accompanists after the First World War. In 1927, a song by the name Das alte Lied (The Old Song) enchanted the world but, hardly anyone knew that it was written by a woman. That was due to Loewe composing under the pseudonym Henry Love and performers such as Richard Tauber, Marlene Dietrich, and Hildegard Knef made the song famous. So popular was the song for several years, it was also featured in the film The Third Man. Hilde Loewe herself performed it in 1949 as a pianist together with tenor Rudolf Schock at a gala concert marking the 200th birthday of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Lowe worked alongside Burgtheater actor Raoul Aslan among others, who encouraged her to compose. She switched effortlessly between serious music and light entertainment. Her charming, melodious works have an unmistakable Viennese flair which became a trademark of her compositions. In 1934, she married stage designer Otto Flatter and composed in later years as Hilde Loewe-Flatter. She and her husband emigrated to England as her Jewish heritage made it far more difficult to remain in Austria due its authoritative regime. In 1947, she received British citizenship and worked as a pianist and music teacher until old age. Lowe-Flatter died in April 1976 at her London home at the age of 80. Her estate was passed on to the German Exile Archive 1933–1945 in Frankfurt am Main by Peter Flatter, Josef Flatter’s son. In tribute to Lowe-Flatter’s talent, her songs are still performed today and are proof that her compositions were the result of a deep love of music which, combined with her extraordinary talent, resulted in a distinctive sound.

Designed by Helmut Andexlinger and Kathrin Kuntner, the obverse side of the coin features a portrait of Hilde Loewe-Flatter in profile, recreated from a glamorous publicity photograph taken before emigrating to England. To the left of the portrait is the text REPUBLIK OSTERREICH shown in a vertical direction and to the right, the text HILDE LOEWE-FLATTER also shown vertically and next to a clef musical symbol. Near the lower left is the denomination 50 EURO and year of release, 2026. The reverse side features a composite image of a mask of a male figure representing her pseudonym Henry Love together with a partial image of Lowe as both figures are in front of a piano keyboard. Superimposed over the keys is a musical score.

Available from the 29^th January, each proof-quality silver coin is encapsulated and presented in a heavy-gauge card case complete with a numbered certificate of authenticity and protective slipcase.  

Austria's Unsung Heroines Collector Case. Made of solid Austrian oak, the collector coin tower is packaged in a dark-red protective box. The tower is divided into five separate discs each with a recess that houses and protects each of the five encapsulated coins in the Austria's Unsung Heroines series. The discs can be fanned out so each coin can be easily viewed at the same time. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Austrian Mint.