Swiss Gold Helvetia

Coinage of the Swiss Gold Helvetia series was authorized by the law in 1896. A year before artist and medalist Fritz Landry won a design competition to create the final rendering of Helvetia, the Swiss version of Lady Liberty (her name is a tribute to the ancient Gaulic and Celtic peoples who once inhabited the territories of Switzerland, also called Confoederatio Helvetica by the Romans). The jury would demand several rounds of changes to transform her profile from the romantic and “frivolous” to the more mature and serious looking figure we know today.

Before Switzerland was known as the world’s premier banker and secret wealth stash, it was a country with a dizzyingly chaotic monetary system. With every canton, city, abbey, principality, and lordship printing their own currency, plus foreign and older currencies in majority use, there were 860 coins in general circulation by the end of the 18^th century. By 1820, the number would be 8,000! And worse, all these various forms of legal tender were inconsistent in value and denomination. All this for a country of just over 2 million people at a time when yodeling across hill and dale was still the major form of communication (the telephone was still decades away).

To address this monetary madness, reforms were enacted in 1850 and, for the first time, the financial system would be unified under a single currency unit. Though the Swiss franc had been issued in 1803, it wasn’t until the reforms 47 years later that the Swiss government would be the only entity allowed to mint a nationalized currency.

The final authorized figure of “Swiss Miss,” as she’s affectionately known by locals, would feature a garland of Edelweiss around her neck and a backdrop of the Alps crossing the coin’s span. Known as Vreneli in Switzerland, legend says the coin’s name comes from a character in the popular Swiss folk tale William Tell.

Other notable features of the Swiss Gold Helvetia:

• The Swiss Gold Helvetia is one of the world’s most popular pre-1933 European gold coins and traditionally trades at low premiums over the gold price
• The Helvetia Swiss Gold coin was originally released in 1897 and was struck every year after until 1936 – ceased due to the Great Depression – when their legal tender status ended; because of the coin’s popularity, some restrikes were issued.
• Though the coin has been produced in various sizes the 20 Franc has been shown to be the most popular historically by far.
• The 20-francs Helvetia was part of an extensive European program to develop a uniform gold currency unit under the Latin Monetary Union which also included the French Gold Napoleon coin as well as the Greek drachmae, the Italian Lire, the Belgium franc, and others
• These coins are very finely detailed and should only be purchased in high quality grades of Uncirculated to Brilliant Uncirculated; the coins may exhibit a few minor scratches and little wear

For investors, the Swiss Gold Helvetia provides one of the best options due to its popularity going back to the mid-twentieth century. Demand for the coin continues to be strong even today. For this reason, many dealers find acquiring Pre-1934 Swiss Gold coins in Brilliant Uncirculated condition very difficult. This demand creates additional premiums for the coin in excess to its value in gold content. At Mint State Gold by Stuppler we’ve recommended the purchase of Swiss Gold Helvetias for many of our Bullion Plus investors. The Swiss Gold coin provides an excellent opportunity for diversifying portfolios of both gold and collectibles.

To learn more about the Swiss Gold Helvetia general specifications and to see how it could fit into your investment portfolio, please contact us here and speak with an experienced Mint State Gold representative who’ll be happy to assist you any way they can.

Coin Specifications

Store: Swiss Gold Coin

Please feel free to contact us to get more information about the Swiss Gold Helvetia.