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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