Vreneli is the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins A gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. Gold has been used for coins practically since the invention of coinage, originally because of gold's intrinsic value. In modern times, most gold coins are intended either to be sold to collectors, or to be used as bullion coins—coins whose nominal value is irrelevant and which serve produced in Switzerland Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation (Confœderatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe[note 4] where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to. The formal name is: Tête d'Helvetia (French), Helvetiakopf (German) or Helvetia Head (English). The coins were issued between 1897 and 1936, in 1947 and in 1949.
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Description
These coins had face values of 10, 20 and 100 Swiss francs The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen (the sole legal currency is the euro), it is widely used on a day-to-day basis. The Swiss National Bank issues banknotes and the federal and were minted in a millesimal fineness Millesimal fineness is a system of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as "750". Many European countries use the percentage hallmark stamps rather than '14K', '18K', etc., which is used in the United States of 900. The coins are sometimes colloquially called, “Swiss Miss,” from the obvious obverse motif. The 20 franc coin's reverse shows the Swiss shield, featuring the Swiss Cross, and a wreath of oak along with the denomination. The coins were minted at the Swiss Mint at Bern (although the die engraving was done at the Paris mint) and the coins are mint marked with a "B" (without a period). The 20 franc coins are 21 mm in diameter (about the size of a U.S. five cent piece), 1.25 mm in thickness, weigh 6.45 grams (gross weight) and; at 90% pure, contain .1866 ounces or 5.805 grams of pure gold. The 10 franc coin weighs 3,23g and at 90% purity contains 2.9 grams of pure gold.
| Letter | City | Letter | City | Letter | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | Bern | B. | Brussels | BB | Strasbourg |
| AB | Strasbourg | A | Paris | L | lingot/bullion re-strikes |
Years of issue
The coins were issued between 1897 and 1936, in 1947 and in 1949.
Key mintage figures
Around 61 million coins were minted, although only 5,000 of the 100 franc pieces were produced and only in the year 1925. The 20 Franc coin is the most common, and it is popular as a bullion coin A bullion coin is a coin struck from precious metal and kept as a store of value or an investment, rather than used in day-to-day commerce. Bullion coins are usually available in gold and silver, with the exception of the Krugerrand and the Swiss Vreneli which are only available in gold. The American Eagle series is available in gold, silver and. However, the coins also hold a place in numismatic circles.
1926 - 20 francs
Among the 20 franc pieces, the 1926 coin with its mintage of only 50,000 pieces is the ostensible key to that series. However, the 1926 is relatively fairly common and the real keys to the series are said to be the 1903 and the 1904. This is based upon the fact that the major coin grading services have graded less than 10 coins of each date in all grades, while the 1926 has a graded population of over 200.[1] [2] Of course, populations depend upon the numbers of coins actually submitted by collectors which is inexorable tied to the popularity of a coin series, or lack there of among collectors. For a critique of population reports see Doug Winter's essay, February 2002.[3]
1925 - 100 francs
The 100 franc denomination was only struck in 1925 with a very limited mintage of 5,000.
The 10 franc series
The 10 franc denomination was struck in 1911 (100,000) through 1916 (130,000), inclusive, and in 1922 (10,200,000). Although the obverse is the same for the 10, 20 and 100 franc pieces, the reverse of the 10 and 100 are common depicting a radiant Swiss Cross above a branch.
The re-strikes of 1935
In 1935, 175,000 regular strikes of the 20 franc coins were produced. However, an additional twenty million (20,008,813) coins dated "L1935B" with the "L" indicating "lingot" or bullion and the "B" indicating the Bern mint, were re-struck in 1945 (3,500,000), 1946 (7,108,813) and 1947 (9,400,000). An additional 9,200,000 coins contemporaneously struck and dated in 1947 were also produced and are distinguished by the mint mark "B". There were no regular strikes produced in the years 1945 and 1946.[4]
Historical Notes about the Coin Design
This coinage series was authorized by the law on January 6, 1896. The name of the coin could derive from "Verena", a personification of the Confederation of Switzerland in the female effigy, (similar to the French Marianne Marianne, a national emblem of France, is, by extension, an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents France as a state, and its values . She is displayed in many places in France and holds a place of honour in town halls and law courts. She symbolises the "Triumph of the Republic", a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la or the American Lady Liberty) probably modeled by Françoise Engli, shown on the obverse of the coin. The name of the design could also have roots in the tale of William Tell, in which a character named "Vreneli" appears. The coin is also known as a Helvetia Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the "Helvetic Confederation" from the inscription above the portrait. Helvetia actually connotes two ideas: it is a variation of the official Latin name of Switzerland Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation (Confœderatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe[note 4] where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to, Confoederatio Helvetica or Swiss Confederation, and, by extension, it refers to the allegorical figure of the Swiss version of Lady Liberty. The Helvetia figure is often depicted with a tiara with the word "Libertas" the Latin root for Liberty, as depicted on an earlier version of the denomination here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:20_CHF_1890_131415.jpg and known as the "Libery head". The coins issued between 1897 and 1949 were designed by Fritz Landry of Neuchâtel Neuchâtel is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, whose signature, "F. Landry" appears on the coin under the portrait. The edge of the coin is imprinted with stars in relief.
"The euro before the 'euro'"
The 20 franc denomination with the aforementioned specifications (size and alloy and gold content) was first established by Napoleon for France in 1803. The denomination/specifications remained in usage until the First World War World War I was a military conflict centered on Europe that began in the summer of 1914. The fighting ended in late 1918. This conflict involved all of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of under what was known as the Latin Monetary League The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th century attempt to unify several European currencies into a single currency that could be used in all the member states, at a time when most national currencies were still made out of gold and silver. It was established in 1865 and disbanded in 1927, the "euro before the euro", so-to-speak. Switzerland constituted itself in Confederation in 1848. It adopted the Swiss Franc, and aligned its currency on the French franc in 1850. It joined the Latin Union in December 1865. Switzerland had Swiss 20 franc pieces, Spain had 20 peseta coins, Italy had 20 lira pieces, Belgium had 20 Belgian franc coins, and Greece had 20 drachmas coins all of which circulated and were accepted throughout Europe. Only for political reasons did the English and the German Empires refuse to follow this direction. Attempts were even taken to explore the unification of the European currency with the American dollar, which explains the extremely rare U.S. pattern coins carrying $5 marking on the face and 25 franc markings on the reverse. An earlier Swiss gold coin had been issued between 1883 and 1896.
References
- ^ http://www.pcgs.com/pop/Category.aspx?c=1542 PCGS Populations report for Switzerland
- ^ http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/poplookup-reportlarge.asp?MajorCategory=WORLD+COINS&CatDesc=SWITZERLAND+-+CONFEDERATION&Denom=G20F&OverrideDateSelection=Yes&Submit=Get+Matching+Coins NGC Population reports for Switzerland
- ^ http://www.raregoldcoins.com/downloads/20020201a.doc Are Population Reports Useful
- ^ Swissmint Swissmint is the official mint of the Swiss Confederation. It is responsible for manufacturing Swiss franc coins, both of the currency and bullion variety. Apart from making coins for the government, Swissmint also manufactures medals and commemorative coins for private customers. "Mintage figures for Swiss coins from 1850, status in January 2007". http://www.swissmint.ch/upload/_pdf/dokumentationen/d/PRAGELIS.PDF. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vreneli |
Categories: Economy of Switzerland | Currencies of Europe Categories: Currencies by region | Economy of Europe | Gold coins Categories: Gold | Bullion coins | Coins | Gold investments | Gold objects
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