Today I thought I would share a European coin that I believe I picked up when I was in Switzerland. It's been more than a couple years and my memory isn't the steel vault it once was... So I decided to look up some information about the country only to find out I knew relatively little about the country beyond neutrality, bank accounts, the Alps, and great chocolate. Until 1648 the nation was still part of the Holy Roman Empire but was formally recognized as an independent nation by the Peace of Westphalia.
Most citizens are German speaking but there are regions that speak Italian, French, and Romansh. As an American I knew most people I met there were German speakers so I learned something new! In Latin the official name of the nation is "Confoederatio Helvetica", which on coins and stamps is shortened to Helvetia. On coins Helvetia is the female national personification of the country. Another fun fact that I learned today. This wasn't always the case as in the 1580's apparently a bull was preferred, not exactly sure why, I suppose because they look tough? I searched to see if by chance they produced coinage at that point but couldn't find any, I assume because they were part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Today's coin is from 1914 and is from a old scan, but it's very cool coin!
About the coin:
Country: Switzerland
Denomination: 1/2 Franc
Mint: Bern
Composition: 83.5% silver/ 16.5% copper
Mintage: 2,000,000
Weight: 2.5 grams
Diameter: 18.2 mm
Thickness: 1.28 mm
Edge: Reeded
Demonetized: Yes
Designer: Albert Wach
Obverse: Helvetia with spear and shield surrounded by 22 stars
Reverse: Wreath with denomination and date, mint mark below
Although the coin is somewhat worn I've always liked it as a momento of my trip. It's a beautiful design and has a relatively high amount of silver at 83.5%. Definitely a great collector's item or to add to your stack if you can find a low enough premium. These days that's getting tough to do. Thanks for taking the time to read my post today, I usually share my treasure hunting post midweek but I haven't had time to finish it, so hopefully for tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!
References:
Numista
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces180.html
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetia
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It has a small circulation to have been a legal tender coin. It is an interesting coin from a difficult period for Europe.
It survived two world wars and over a hundred years. The world was a much different place back then!
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I have a large amount of respect for the Swiss nation and their position of neutrality. Opens up so many opportunities for national growth.
They have been fortunate to have borders that are difficult to invade making it much easier to remain neutral. It's definitely helped them prosper!
Wasn't expecting on my first try.
Lady luck was on your side!
Ayy finally you share something that I have or very close to it same design for sure but I don't remember if its a half
They have cool coins, I don't have many but should probably change that.
You have quite a collection of old coins!
Thanks! Most I've picked up over the years when I travel somewhere I pick up a coin or two. Others I've run across in stores over the years. I think they're pretty cool especially silver ones!
I guess you love to invest in coins a lot
Well, the coin is looking old
It is old but gold
Nice one!
Thanks! Investing in silver is always a good idea in my opinion.
nice coin collection!
Thanks! I love silver coins!
ohh another raflle hope i could win :)
Got you down, we will see! Good luck!
Very interesting, I did not know about"Confoederatio Helvetica" just that the coin had a female personification on the coin!😀
Interesting that they are 83.5% silver, I'm sure they probably kept it at this amount to keep it from wearing out during circulation!😀
I learned a lot that I didn't know, I found it really interesting. The lower silver I'm sure helped make them hold up better and less expensive to produce. Thanks!
I guess if you look at it from the mints point of view, they aren’t looking for pure .999 they are looking at longevity and cost !😇
Also working on my post for today, the coin is French but very close to the same in size and purity as the Swiss one. It must have been a treaty at that point to keep the currencies between European nations interchangeable.
I think you are correct, I’ve noticed that when comparing the gold French franc to the Swiss😇
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