Commemorative coins of Switzerland
The official commemorative coins of Switzerland have been issued at irregular intervals since 1936 and at least annually since 1974.
The commemorative coins are not legal tender for general circulation; However, their value is covered by the state and they are accepted as part of payment by the National Bank , the Post and the SBB .
precursor
No commemorative coins were minted under the mint sovereignty of the individual cantons, nor after the introduction of the Swiss franc in 1850 until 1936. During this time, however, so-called Schützentaler were issued at shooting festivals , some of which even came into circulation and as forerunners of commemorative coins can be viewed.
Commemorative Five-Ribbon
→ List: List of Swiss commemorative five-ribers
On the occasion of the military loan from 1936, a 5-franc commemorative coin was issued for the first time. In terms of material (silver), weight and size, it corresponded to the circulating five-franc coin ( five-franc coin ). Five more silver editions followed by 1963, as well as a semi-official edition on the occasion of the 1939 national exhibition in Zurich, which was actually only valid during the exhibition, but is usually counted among the Swiss commemorative coins. The commemorative coin of the Laupenkriegs ( minted in 1939) is still the Swiss commemorative coin with the highest collector's value in relation to its face value and metal value.
In 1974 commemorative coinage was resumed, but now with five-ribs made of copper nickel . The series continued with annual editions until 1990; In 1979, on the occasion of Albert Einstein's centenary , two different coins appeared.
In the case of the copper-nickel coins, the commemorative five-fliers usually had a mintage of around one million and were very popular with collectors. Before the Federal Act on Currency and Means of Payment came into force on May 1, 2000, they were fully valid, but above all they were hoarded and were rarely found in circulation.
20 franc silver coins
→ List: List of Swiss 20-franc commemorative coins
In 1991 the commemorative five-pound coins were replaced by silver coins of 20 francs. Their weight is 20 grams, their fineness 835/1000 and their diameter 33 mm. They initially appeared annually, but since 1996 mostly twice a year. When it was first struck on the occasion of the seven hundredth anniversary of the Swiss Confederation , the circulation was around two and a half million. The coins proved to be far less popular with collectors than their predecessors, and the number of mints was lowered. As of 2002, the circulation was around 50,000 each; In 2015 it was reduced to 35,000 units.
Due to strong fluctuations in the price of silver , the metal value of the 20-franc coins in 2011 briefly exceeded their face value. Swissmint responded by raising the issue price to CHF 30. At the beginning of 2012, when the silver value was again below the critical level, the issue price was reduced to 25 francs, but at the beginning of 2017 it was raised again to 30 francs.
Bimetal coins
→ List: List of Swiss commemorative five -franc coins # Bimetallic , list of Swiss 10-franc commemorative coins
Since the relatively expensive 20-franc coins did not sell that much, five-franc coins were minted again from 1999, but this time in a different form than the circulation coins. These are bimetal coins with a ring made of cupro-nickel and a center made of Nordic gold . However, their sales could never come close to the sales figures of the old commemorative five-fliers; the editions were in the order of magnitude of 150,000 pieces.
In 2004, the new face value of 10 francs was changed. The weight (15 g) and the diameter (33 mm) stayed the same, but the metals were exchanged (Nordic gold on the outside, cupronickel on the inside). In addition, the front design is always the same, and on the back there are series of thematic motifs (2004–2006 “Swiss Mountains”, 2007–2010 “Animals in the Swiss National Park”).
From 2012, the 10-franc coins were no longer issued at face value, but at a price of 15 francs. In 2017 the price was further increased to 20 francs.
Gold coins
→ List: List of Swiss commemorative coins in gold
In 1991 a commemorative coin with a face value of CHF 250 was issued on the occasion of the seven hundredth anniversary of the Swiss Confederation. Its diameter is 23 mm and its weight is 8 g with a gold content of 900/1000. There were quality problems in their manufacture; small silver particles led to the formation of rust-brown spots on the surface. Therefore, part of the edition was recalled and replaced by a second edition. Instead of the originally planned 800,000 copies, only 490,000 copies (1st and 2nd edition together) were issued; the greater part of this was returned to the National Bank.
In 1998 a new gold coin program was started, initially with coins of 100 francs (22.58 g, 28 mm), since 2001 for 50 francs (11.29 g, 25 mm). In contrast to the other coins, these coins are not available at face value (the gold value alone is a multiple of this), but are sold at a high premium. This spending policy has been criticized from various quarters. The editions were compared with pseudo coins and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung even described the fifty-franc coin on the centenary of Johanna Spyri's death as a “rip-off Heidi” in an article on July 9, 2001 .
Their circulation is only a few thousand pieces each.
Course ability of the commemorative coins
The commemorative coins are not legal tender for general circulation; However, their value is covered by the state and they are accepted as part of payment by the National Bank , the Post and the SBB . Before the Federal Act on Currency and Means of Payment came into force on May 1, 2000, they were fully valid, but above all they were hoarded and were rarely found in circulation.
In the case of the 5-franc coins, those born between 1936 and 1963 are no longer accepted in payment with the silver alloy. All 5-franc copper-nickel and bimetal pieces as well as all 20-franc, 50-franc, 100-franc and 250-franc pieces will still be accepted as part of payment.
Individual evidence
Circulation coins: 5 centimes | 10 cents | 20 cents | ½ franc | 1 franc | 2 francs | 5 francs
Not current: 1 centime | 2 cents
Gold coins: Helvetia | Goldvreneli | 25 and 50 francs
Commemorative coins : commemorative five-ribbons | 10 francs | 20 francs | gold