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Switzerland 2018: The first "Wilhelm Tell" coin

Started by chrisild, May 23, 2018, 01:26:26 AM

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chrisild

A few weeks ago Switzerland issued a 50 fr gold coin dedicated to the legendary hero William or Wilhelm Tell. Oddly enough, this is the very first Swiss coin that honors this character who is quite popular in the country.

The coin was designed by Angelo Boog who modeled it after Ferdinand Hodler's Tell painting from 1897. (Side note: This year is the 100th anniversary of Hodler's death; he was already honored on a 5 fr coin in 1980.) Gold/Au900, 11.29g, Ø 25mm, mintage 4,500 (proof only). face value 50 fr, issue price was 580 fr ...

Christian

CH18Tell.jpg

chrisild

#1
Now why is this the first Tell coin? Because an earlier one was made but not issued. :)  In 1955 Switzerland decided to make gold coins featuring Tell (25 fr) and the Rütlischwur (50 fr). In that year, and in 1956 and 1959, five million 25 fr coins and two million 50 fr coins per year were minted, so the Tell coin alone had been produced with a total volume of 15 million. For various mostly economic reasons, however, the coins stayed in the central bank's vaults - and about ten years ago, they were melted down. The central bank decided to keep 20,000 pieces per year and denomination, but again, not for the public. (Images from the Swissmint website.)

Another coin that some people believe is a Tell piece is the 5 fr circulation coin, first minted in 1922. (Today the coin is much lighter, and Cu-Ni instead of silver.) The man with the hood is simply an Alphirt (alpine shepherd), but I guess that those who missed their Wilhelm Tell coin simply wanted to see one in that guy.

Christian

Tell55.jpg

Pabitra

Quote from: chrisild on May 23, 2018, 01:27:34 AM
Another coin that some people believe is a Tell piece is the 5 fr circulation coin, first minted in 1922. (Today the coin is much lighter, and Cu-Ni instead of silver.) The man with the hood is simply an Alphirt (alpine shepherd)

SCWC also describes Obverse of 5 Francs coin as William Tell.

chrisild

#3
Quote from: Pabitra on May 23, 2018, 09:58:36 AMSCWC also describes Obverse of 5 Francs coin as William Tell.

Certainly not the only mistake in the SCWC ...

D-15) Is the image on the 5-franc piece Wilhelm Tell?
The 5-franc piece depicts an Alpine herdsman, not Tell. The first drafts of the coin designer, Paul Burkhard, clearly show this.

(Source)

More, in German, about the 25 and 50 fr non-coins :) from the 1950s ...
http://www.swissmint.ch/d/downloads/dokumentation/numis_beri/25-50-FR-GOLDMUENZEN.pdf
... and more, also in German, about the 5 fr coin:
http://www.swissmint.ch/d/downloads/dokumentation/numis_beri/5FR-BURK.pdf

Christian

chrisild

Quote from: chrisild on May 23, 2018, 01:27:34 AM
In 1955 Switzerland decided to make gold coins featuring Tell (25 fr) and the Rütlischwur (50 fr). In that year, and in 1956 and 1959, five million 25 fr coins and two million 50 fr coins per year were minted, so the Tell coin alone had been produced with a total volume of 15 million. For various mostly economic reasons, however, the coins stayed in the central bank's vaults - and about ten years ago, they were melted down. The central bank decided to keep 20,000 pieces per year and denomination, but again, not for the public.

And here is your chance to buy one - actually one pair. Seems that two pieces of each denomination left the mint at some point, and this 25/50 combo will now be in a Rapp auction, on 23 May. The attached images are from the auction house's website and catalog (PDF). The two are item #1109 in the catalog. Estimate 40,000-60,000 CHF. Your turn - I'll pass. ;)

Christian

chrisild

#5
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Swiss 5 fr coin - and some newspapers/sites used the opportunity to point at the "Tell Mistake" that some people still make. :) Here for example is the Luzerner Zeitung; in German, and behind a paywall. But the headline is clearly visible ...

Edit: This article from Neue Zürcher Zeitung, posted yesterday, seems to be available without subscription. Comes with a few nice photos, and references to a book written by Hanspeter Koch (Swissmint).