One of the longest issued coins

Switzerland

(Map highlighting Switzerland, from Wikipedia)

Switzerland is in the centre of Europe. Landlocked by Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. Geographically it is comprised of the Alps, sub-alpine Jura and the Swiss plateau, with a population of 9 million people.

Over the centuries, Switzerland developed from a network of various alliances of towns and rural areas into the federal state it is today, consisting of 26 cantons. It developed much like large parts of Western Europe, but was able to maintain its unique characteristics and independence.

Switzerland is located in the middle of Europe, not just geographically; the country’s historical development resembles that of its neighbours. The territory of today’s Switzerland was part of the Roman Empire and was shaped in the Early Middle Ages by Christianity, migratory flows and the rule of various foreign powers. In the Late Middle Ages, the Old Swiss Confederacy, the political constellation preceding today’s Switzerland, gradually took shape.

One characteristic which developed in Switzerland, which has withstood the test of time, is its neutrality. This didn’t stop conflicts from the French Revolution or Napoleonic wars up to the two 20th century world wars from affecting Switzerland. But unlike many neighbours, the country was spared large scale destruction, particularly in WWI and WWII. Similarly, Switzerland helped mediate between sides in the cold war, and while it participated in the economic unification of Europe, it maintained neutrality and did not join the European Union or Euro.

Obverse

The Obverse of the coin features the “Head of Libertas (Roman goddess of liberty) facing right, with braided hair tied with ribbon and wearing tiara.” The text, “CONFŒDERATIO HELVETICA” translates as “Swiss Confederation”.

From Britannica: “Confederations are voluntary associations of independent states that, to secure some common purpose, agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action and establish some joint machinery of consultation or deliberation” whereas “The term federation is used to refer to groupings of states, often on a regional basis, that establish central executive machinery to implement policies or to supervise joint activities.”

While the term “Confederation” is still used, Switzerland has been a federal state since 1848. Switzerland is a direct democracy with three levels of government. Rather than a monarch or president, Switzerland’s government is overseen by a Federal Council of seven members who are elected by the Federal Assembly (parliament).

Reverse

The reverse contains one of the simplest designs I’ve seen on a circulating coin (Please do reach out with any simpler! I love that kind of thing). Numista describes it as: “Wreath formed of two oak branches with acorns tied with a ribbon below.” – Basically, it’s the value inside a wreath.

Many Swiss coins have a “B” mintmark. This stands for “Bern”, the location of the Federal Mint in Switzerland which opened in 1225. Interestingly, coins struck from 1970 – 1985 do NOT have a mintmark. The Swiss Mint explains in their FFAQ: “The withdrawal of silver coins in 1968 led to extensive (obsessive) collecting by Swiss people. They collected not only the old coins, but also the newly minted cupronickel ones. As there were two versions of the ½ and 1-franc coins of 1968 and 1969 (with or without the mintmark “B” – the latter were minted in London to help overcome the coinage crisis), both types were collected. This collecting led to a shortage of circulation coins. Consequently, the mintmark “B” was abandoned from 1970 onwards, and was reintroduced in 1986″. Personally, I’m not sure how removing the mintmark helps with the “problem” of people removing coins from circulation to collect? Perhaps the mint felt that should they need to have coins minted overseas again, not having a mintmark would mean there was still only one issue of that coin?

One of the most interesting points about this piece is that it was first minted in 1879, and was still minted in 2024 (I believe it is still minted in 2025, although for some reason the Swiss Mint only show one side of the coins on the photos of sets on their site?).

At the time Switzerland confederated in 1848, each canton had their own currency. In 1850, a new, uniform currency was introduced. 1 Franc (Franken, Franco) = 100 Rappen (Centimes, Centesimi, Raps). This was terminology familiar to many of the cantons, although in some cases greatly simplified denominations. Zürich, for instance, previously also used a unit called the Frank. In this case, 1 Frank = 10 Batzen OR 40 Kreuzer OR 100 Rappen OR 300 Haller. And 1 Neutaler = 4 Frank.

The Swiss Franc coins are known for having long-lasting designs, so let’s take a look at their regular circulation coins. Coins in the Swiss Franc are:

1 Rappen, issued in Bronze 1850-1941, then same design in Zinc 1942-6, then a new design in 1948, which was used until 2006.

2 Rappen, weighing 2.5g from 1850 – 1931, then 3g until 1941, then zinc until 1946, then redesigned from 1948 – 1974.

5 Rappen, 1850-77, then new design 1879-1980; different metals used in 1918 and 1932-41 and 1981-current.

10 Rappen, issued with the coat of arms 1850-1876, then with Libertas (today’s coin) from 1879-2024. Coins were issued in brass in 1818-19 and nickel from 1932-9, although unlike the other denominations, the design, metal and weight returned to the 1879 characteristics after these periods.

20 Rappen, with shield 1850-1859, then Libertas 1881-1938, then changed from Nickel to Copper-Nickel from 1939-now.

1/2 Franc, with Helvetica seated in .900 silver 1850-1, with Helvetica standing in .835 silver from 1875-1967, and the same design in copper-nickel from 1968-now. (Unlike the lower denominations, no coins were issued in 1918-19, although coins did continue to be issued unchanged in the 1930s).

1 Franc, seated Helvetica in .900 silver 1850-1857, then same in .800 silver 1860-61, Helvetica standing in .835 silver 1875-1967, and the same design in copper-nickel from 1968 to now.

2 Francs, basically exactly the same path as the 1 Franc, although the .800 seated Helvetica was issued 1860-63, and the standing Helvetica in .835 was produced from 1874-1967.

5 Francs, Helvetica seated in 900 silver 1850-1886, Helvetica head, 1888-1916. From 1922, the design changed to a herdsman on one side with shield and wreath on the other. Very minor changes have resulted in 5 variations, with the most significant being a change to copper-nickel in 1968.

I always made the mistake of not paying too much attention to Swiss coins because it was easy to think “They were all the same and had been for so long”. But even just there, that is 36 different coins across nine denominations. Though that is still not a lot for 175 years. The United States has had 94 coins in that time. France has had 160 coins. The United Kingdom (itself, not counting dependencies) has had 189 designs in that time. What is your favourite long-lasting design (Swiss or otherwise)?