Note: Swiss rarities of 1896.

[villa66]

Last night I became aware of the Swiss rarities of 1896. I imagine about everyone here already knows of them, but just in case, and because their situation is somewhat similar to the accidentally rare 1804 dollar created by the American presentation sets of 1834, the Japanese coppers of Meiji 25 created as part of display sets for the Columbian Exposition, and maybe most appropriately, here, the 1902J pfennigs created for Hamburg’s KWI Denkmal….

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x: In 1896, Switzerland coined only this nickel 20-rappen (1M) and the gold 20-francs (400K) in circulation quantities. But the authorities wanted a number of complete Swiss coin sets to display at the Swiss National Exposition held in Geneva that year, so 1896-dated examples of all the other denominations were minted in small handfuls. Sixteen each of the 1896 5- and 10-rappen piece;, twenty each of the 2-rappen and 2-franc coins, etc. (01)

v.

[Radealex]

Hello,

I collect Swiss coins by date but never expected to get one of the rare 1896 series.
from time to time coins of this date are offered in auctions but always very expensive (at least from 4000,-€ up!).

The temping about the Swiss coin series from 1850 to date, is that most years are very common,
even rarer years can be bought at cheap price from time to time, what makes this area very attractive to collectors today.
For example, i bought a 2 Franken 1879 in VF for 20,-€ and a 1 Rappen 1870 in XF for 5,-€ from friendly collectors!

In my collection is no place for any of those 1896 coins, with the exception of the 20 Rappen (worth about 2,-€ in VF)
and the gold 20 Francs (worth about 290,-€ in XF).
If i would ever get one of the others, i would send this coin directly to an good auction house .

friendly greetings,
Alex.

[villa66]

You’re right, I think, about the appeal of Swiss coins. I really hadn’t thought of it that way, but type-collectors of Swiss coins are so easily satisfied, so the field is wide open for us date-collectors.

As you say, assembling long date-runs is an attraction of Swiss coinage. And the age of the coins in actual circulation…because the coins have remained so much the same, very old coins can sometimes be found in pocket change. I know the first time I got an 1884 20-rappen in everyday pocket change—as a boy—I thought it was some sort of a trick!

The designs too have a special appeal. The wreath-work is superior, and the allegories have a particular pull as well. (When I first encountered Swiss coins, American circulating coinage was shedding its last allegorical Liberties, and I hated that.) (But let me revisit the subject of “American allegorical Liberties” elsewhere, because what I’ve just written is not technically true.)

I also enjoy the terseness of Swiss coinage, especially in contrast to my own American coinage, which is sometimes…well, sometimes over-talkative.

Then there’s the fascination of Swiss ½-, 1-, and 2-franc coins, and their 40 years (1927-1967) as living fossils of the LMU….

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Hope one day you get your 1896!

v.