The Austrian Ducats were some of the oldest circulating currencies in the world under the gold standard. The first golden Ducat was minted in 1284. The 1 Ducat coin was regularly minted from 1612 until 1914. Coins dated 1915 are all restrikes, made between 1920 and 1936. The coins have one of the highest purities in the world, 98.6 %, for gold coins which have circulated.

The obverse features Franz Joseph I. The reverse features the arms of Austria-Hungaria superimposed upon a crowned double-headed imperial eagle.