Palau – Mountains & Flora – Grossglockner – $5 – 2009 – Proof Silver Crown – COA – The sight of a blue gentian, edelweiss or any other typical alpine flower makes many a mountain climber or hiker’s heart leap for joy. Thanks to the high ultraviolet-rays, alpine flowers have an intensive luminous color which is very appealing to our senses. They are survivalists who have adjusted perfectly to their extreme environment, although in many areas the snow melts earlier than in the past due to increased global warming. For this reason, alpine flowers bloom earlier than they used to. The Grossglockner is, at 13,715 feet above sea level, Austria’s highest mountain and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. This makes it, after Mont Blanc, the second most prominent mountain in the Alps, when measured by relative height. The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol and is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge. The Pasterze, Austria’s biggest glacier, lies at the Grossglockner’s foot. Worldwide mintage on this coin was limited to 2,500 pieces. This beautiful proof silver crown comes as shown with a Certificate of Authenticity.