Austria 3 Euro Super Saurs Complete Set Coins 2019 2020 2021 2022

For Sale:
Austria 3 Euro Coins Super Saurs
Complete Set of Twelve Coins

Country: Austria
Face Value: 3 Euro
Theme:
* Spinosaurus
* Mosasaurus Hoffmanni
* Arambourgiania Philadelphiae
* Ankylosaurus Magniventris
* Tyrannosaurus Rex
* Therizinosaurus
* Deinonychus
* Styracosaurus
* Argentinosaurus Huinculensis
* Microraptor gui
* Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
* Ornithomimus velox
Collection: Super Saurs
Position in Series: Full Set
Composition: Base Metals
Quality: Uncirculated
Year: 2019 2020 2021 2022
Weight (Per Coin): 16 g
Mintage: 65,000 (Each Coin) 50,000 (Spinosaurus)
Coin Shape: Circular
Diameter: 34.00 mm
Edge: Plain
Edge Inscription: None
Packaging: Lighthouse Capsules
Condition: See images
Certificate: No Certificate Issued
Mint: Austrian Mint AG
Designer: Mag. Helmut Andexlinger, Kathrin Kuntner

Shipping Options
Only charge An Post rates (rounded up to nearest Euro)
(Will combine shipping):
* Standard Post (Ireland): €3
* Registered Post (Ireland): €10
* Collection (Bray): Free

Payment Options:
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Description:

Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus
At 18 metres in length and weighing a whopping 9 tons, the Spinosaurus was the largest carnivore to have ever walked the Earth, even outranking that most iconic of prehistoric predators, the Tyrannosaurus rex. As such, Spinosaurus is the perfect way to launch our superlative 12-coin Supersaurs series, which brings prehistoric giants back to life in the shape of 12 superb glow-in-the-dark coins.

Each one of the 12 prehistoric beasts featured in the series possessed an exceptional quality, such as the most sophisticated hunting skills, the longest claws or the most powerful bite, to name but a few.

Meaning ‘spine lizard’, Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus lived some 100 million years ago in what is now known as North Africa, where Spinosaurus remains were discovered for the first time in Egypt in 1912. The head and jaws of the dinosaur were long and narrow, not unlike those of the contemporary crocodile, and like that semiaquatic reptile, the Spinosaurus is thought to have been at home both on land and in water, and to have existed on a diet of both land and marine animals. One major difference between the Spinosaurus and the contemporary crocodile, other than size, was the presence of distinctive 1.65-metre long spines on the dinosaur’s back. There is some debate about whether they were covered in fat and formed a hump or were joined by skin and formed a sail-like protrusion, not to mention the actual function of the appendage, be it temperature control or simply display.

Mosasaurus
The largest and most impressive animals to have ever lived are celebrated in Supersaurs. The series brings prehistoric giants back to life in the shape of 12 superb glow-in-the-dark coins, each one dedicated to a prehistoric behemoth that ruled the waves, roamed the land or dominated the skies. The second coin features Mosasaurus, the largest marine reptile, which hunted in the seas of the late Cretaceous period before dying out some 66 million years ago.

Descended from land-dwelling monitor lizards, though equipped with flippers, Mosasaurus was a carnivorous sea-dwelling reptile found in Western Europe and North America, and possibly in Japan and New Zealand. Mosasaurus means ‘Meuse lizard’, as the first specimen was found near the River Meuse in the Netherlands. The giant reptile comprised almost 40 different genera with numerous species, the largest known, M. hoffmanni, reaching lengths of up to 17 metres. Experts believe that Mosasaurus lived near the surface of the water, where it preyed on fish, turtles, birds, pterosaurs and plesiosaurs. Despite its ability to do so, it is believed that Mosasaurus did not dive into deeper waters.

Mosasaurus features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Mosasaurus is shown hunting in a seascape on the coin’s glow-in-the-dark reverse.

Arambourgiania
The prehistoric behemoth that features on the third coin in the Supersaurs series is the largest flying animal to have ever dominated the skies – Arambourgiania. With a beak like a pelican, a neck like a giraffe, wings like a giant bat and a crest like a Mohican haircut, this extraordinary pterosaur is brought colourfully back to life on this superb coin.

Widespread short-tailed flying reptiles that died out at the end of the Cretaceous period some 66 million years ago, Arambourgiania were enormous creatures. Researchers estimate that the largest species had a 3-metre-long neck, a 13-metre wingspan and stood 5 metres tall. The earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight, pterosaurs are often referred to as "flying dinosaurs". While that is not the case, they were more closely related to dinosaurs than to contemporary reptiles such as the crocodile.

Arambourgiania features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Arambourgiania is shown in its native prehistoric habitat on the coin’s glow-in-the-dark reverse. The 3 euro Supersaurs coins are legal tender in Austria.

Ankylosaurus magniventris
Given just how tough the armoured ankylosaurus magniventris was, it is not surprising that this massive herbivore was one of the last large non-avian dinosaurs to roam the earth. Looking like a four-legged tank with a broad torso covered in humps, spines and protected by a bone-plated corset, not to mention horns pointing backwards from the back of its head, ankylosaurus magniventris is brought to life in vivid detail on the fourth coloured coin in the Supersaurs series.

Only appearing a couple of million years before the extinction of non-flying dinosaurs, at the end of the cretaceous period some 68–66 million years ago, ankylosaurus magniventris measured 9 metres in length and weighed around 3.5 tons. Needing to eat up to 60 kg of food per day, the dinosaur thus had little time for anything else. This has led some experts to speculate that the beast's extraordinarily wide belly - hence 'magniventris' - accommodated a digestive system that was able to process food in several stages.

Ankylosaurus magniventris features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed ankylosaurus is shown in its native prehistoric habitat, with a predator in the background, on the coin’s glow-in-the-dark reverse. The 3 euro Supersaurs coins are legal tender in Austria.

Tyrannosaurus rex
It may have been extinct for some 66 million years, yet Tyrannosaurus rex is by far the best known and most recognisable of all the dinosaurs. This could be due to the large number of tyrannosaurs fossils – among them several almost complete skeletons – discovered over the years, mostly in western North America. But it may also be because the T-Rex, as it is known colloquially, was one of the most terrifying animals to have ever walked the earth. It features in all its fearsome glory on the fifth coin in the Supersaurs series.

Around 12 metres long, 5 metres tall and weighing more than 7 tons, the T-Rex was one of the largest purely land-based predators of all time. Up to 1.5 metres in length and sitting on a short s-shaped neck, the T-Rex’s massive skull contained large cavities that reduced its weight and served as an attachment point for muscles. The large, heavy tail served as a counterbalance to the immense weight of the dinosaur’s upper body, on which there were surprisingly short forelimbs no longer than those of an adult human. Their purpose is still the subject of debate, but it is possible that they were used to tear up prey or to aid the T-Rex to stand upright from the prone position.

The T-Rex’s most striking feature was, however, its teeth. Up to 30 centimetres in length, each one was deeply embedded in the animal’s massive jaw and bent backwards. They were strengthened by ridges and had serrated edges like saw blades, making them ideally suited to tearing up flesh and breaking up bones. The T-Rex could tear off 250 kilograms of its prey’s flesh with one single bite and had the most powerful bite force of any carnivorous dinosaur.

The coin’s glow-in-the-dark obverse features a colour-printed T-Rex aggressively baring its teeth in front of a Parasaurolophus, which is seen in the background to the right. The coin’s reverse features all 12 prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse.

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis
Appearances can be deceptive.

Weighing five tons, up to ten metres tall and boasting sharp claws that were longer than those of any other land animal that has ever existed, the Therizinosaurus was not as dangerous as it looked.
The subject of the sixth coin in the superlative Supersaurs series was actually a vegetarian and its claws more suited to detaching vegetation than attacking the other animals that roamed the planet some 70 million years ago.
As a theropod, Therizinosaurus cheloniformis was not only distantly related to predators such as Tyrannosaurus rex but also to present-day birds.

Originally carnivorous, over time the Therizinosaurus changed its diet and became a pure herbivore.
During the late Cretaceous period, it lived in areas of the northern continent of Laurasia that now correspond to North America, China and Mongolia.
Up to one metre in length, flat, curved and pointed at the end, the dinosaur's claws are responsible for its nickname, 'scythe lizard'.
They were used primarily to reach high branches in trees as well as perhaps for self-defence.
Well preserved remains of one of its close relatives have suggested that, rather surprisingly, the Therizinosaurus was also partially feathered.
Therizinosaurus features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Therizinosaurus is shown in its native prehistoric habitat next to a nest full of eggs on the coin's glow-in-the-dark reverse.

Deinonychus
Size isn't everything.
Deinonychus antirrhopus is a case in point.
The seventh supersaur in the superlative series may only have been three and a half meters in length, but it was one of the most dangerous and intelligent dinosaurs to have ever walked the earth.

An inhabitant of what is now known as North America, Deinonychus lived some 110 million years ago. When moving nimbly around on two legs, it used its flexible tail to maintain its balance.
Studded with numerous blade-like teeth with jagged edges, Deinonychus's jaws very were much those of a carnivore. Despite containing a brain large enough to suggest a highly intelligent animal, its skull was relatively narrow. This enabled Deinonychus to see stereoscopically and to estimate distances precisely - an essential prerequisite for a successful predator.

But perhaps the most striking feature of Deinonychus was the large sickle-shaped claws on the second toe of its hind legs.
The fossilized tracks of a Deinonychus show that these claws were splayed upwards and did not touch the ground during walking, all the better for fixing its prey to the ground with one leg while tearing it open with the claws on its long front legs.
Deinonychus features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Deinonychus is shown in the company of a Xenoceratops on the coin's glow-in-the-dark reverse.

Styracosaurus albertensis
The longest horn
They may have looked terrifying but the spikes and horns that protruded from the head of Styracosaurus albertensis were not necessarily used for violent purposes.
The subject of the eighth coin in the Supersaurs series had four to six long spikes extending from its neck frill, a smaller horn on each cheek, and a single horn, up to 60 cm long and 15 cm wide, protruding from its nose.
The function of those horns has long been the subject of scientific debate.
In the case of some horned dinosaurs, horns certainly served as defence in the event of attack, although the neck frill would have been punctured quickly in combat.

Bite marks of a Tyrannosaurus rex have been found on the frill of a Triceratops, for example.
Another possibility is that males with bigger, more elaborate and more visible headgear had a better chance of intimidating their rivals in the herd and attracting available females during the mating season.
The frills may also have been decorated with eye-catching patterns and bright colours, which could have served as a distinguishing feature or helped established the hierarchy within the herd.
Who knows, they may also have served to impress their enemies to the extent that they would not even consider attacking Styracosaurus in the first place.

Argentinosaurus
The ninth coin in the Supersaurs series features Argentinosaurus huinculensis, the largest and heaviest land animal to have ever walked the earth.
Between 30 and 40 metres in length and weighing 60 to 90 tons, Argentinosaurus lived in what is now South America some 94 million years ago.
The biggest behemoth
Little is known about the Argentinosaurus as only a few remains, including vertebrae, ribs, a shin and a femur, have been found.
A limited fossil record is not atypical for sauropods because their massive carcasses would have disintegrated quickly after their demise and been split up and carried off by scavengers.

By comparing the behemoth with better preserved sauropods, however, experts believe that Argentinosaurus had a small head, a long neck and tail, a barrel-shaped trunk and four columnar legs.
Its enormous weight limited Argentinosaurus' ability to move at speed, although it is presumed that it did not need to be fast because its vast size meant that it rarely had to flee.
Argentinosaurus huinculensis features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Argentinosaurus is shown in the company of another member of its species and a pair of Pterosaurs on the coin's glow-in-the-dark reverse.

Microraptor
Like all animal groups, dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes. Weighing just one kilogram and no larger than a chicken, Microraptor gui was the smallest of them all.
Despite having wings and feathers, the subject of the tenth coin in the spectacular Supersaurs series was not a bird, but rather a true dinosaur dating from the early cretaceous period some 120 million years ago.
We know this because numerous well preserved Microraptor fossil specimens have been found in lakebed deposits in China's Liaoning province. Preserved in mud, the dinosaur's remains were protected from oxygen and scavengers and thus provided palaeontologists with a rare and fascinating glimpse of prehistoric life.

Even the dinosaur's feathers were clearly visible, forming a fringe around the skull, along the neck before merging into long wing feathers.
The elongated long tail also culminated in a fan of feathers, two of which were particularly long.
Microraptor gui is also one of the few dinosaurs of which the colour of the feathers can be gauged.
Although it was not a bird, the Microraptor does, however, provide important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and early dinosaurs.
On the right of the coin's reverse, a colour-printed Microraptor gui is shown in a forest landscape, clawing at a tree trunk; on the left, a flying Microraptor chases a dragonfly.
The coin's obverse features all 12 prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette.

Pachycephalosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus means "thick-headed lizard" in Greek, a particularly apt name given that the prehistoric herbivore that features on the penultimate coin in the Supersaurs series had a skull roof up to 25 cm thick. As the second part of its name implies, Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis lived in what is now the north-western United States and the province of Alberta in Canada during the late Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago.

Unusually curved and with short, blunt spines protruding along its edge, the skull of Pachycephalosaurs was unique among dinosaurs. Towards the front it tapered into a small, knobbly beak and the eyes faced forward, meaning that the dinosaur could see stereoscopically, as we humans do, in three dimensions. Scientists disagree about the skull’s function. The first and most popular theory interprets it as a weapon to be used in intra-species combat, although this is disputed. Another theory assumes that the skull served as an individual recognition feature and exerted a signal effect on conspecifics through its shape and colour. This idea is supported by the fact that there was probably a sexual dimorphism in thick-skinned dinosaurs; that is, males had larger and higher skull roofs than females. The flatter skulls found show no injuries, suggesting that they belonged to females or juveniles that did not have to engage in rutting combat.

Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse. The obverse features a colour-printed Pachycephalosaurus being threatened by a predatorial Allosaurus in a prehistoric landscape.

Ornithomimus velox
Our fascinating journey to the world of extreme dinosaurs draws to a close in the shape of Ornithomimus velox, the twelfth and final coin in the Supersaurs series. Ornithomimus velox is definitely a case of last but not least, however, given that it was the fastest dinosaur to have ever roamed the earth.

Standing upright on long hind legs that ended in three powerful claws, and with a long, flexible neck and large eyes set in a small head, Ornithomimus velox bore some resemblance to the ostrich, albeit with a long tail and arms instead of wings. The dinosaur even had a toothless jaw that tapered into a beak. Weighing around 150 kilograms and measuring 4 metres from its beak to the tip of its long tail, Ornithomimus had lower legs that were significantly longer than its thighs, and elongated metatarsal bones, both typical characteristics of a fast runner. Computer models have calculated that Ornithomimus had a top speed of 60 to 80 kilometres per hour, but its powerful hind claws suggest that it was capable of defending itself and did not just use its speed to evade attack.

Although the remains found to date cannot exactly substantiate Ornithomimus’ diet, the presence of small gastroliths – stones that birds and other animals swallow to grind food – in the epigastric region of some skeletons imply that it was a herbivore. Having said that, Ornithomimus could also have preyed on small reptiles and insects, another similarity with the ostrich, which despite having a predominantly plant-based diet and employing gastroliths, also eats caterpillars and grasshoppers.

Ornithomimus velox features all 12 of the extreme prehistoric animals in the Supersaurs series in silhouette on its obverse, while a colour-printed Ornithomimus is shown moving through a grassy landscape on the coin’s glow-in-the-dark reverse.