Pretty coin! Is there a site that describes the various gold coins in relation to each other? For instance, is this the equivalent of a ducat? It looks larger, but I don't know how to find the info on this. And now that I saw this one, I need one like it. At least it isn't your avatar piece! Thanks- Mike
my avtar piece costs an arm anad a leg. its a rare coin but i am glad you like the other coin. thanks.
That 20 fr coin is Au900 gold, Ø 21 mm. The weight should, according to my catalog, be 6.4516 g. The L is short for lingot (bar); those coins are dated 1935 but were minted in 1946. (After the 1936 devaluation of the franc they lost their function as means of payment.) The history of the woman depicted on the coins ("Vreneli") is quite interesting. The artist Fritz Landry first designed a younger woman's head, but the jury decided in 1895 that she was not old enough. He was asked to redo the design and make her more mature and motherly. The result is almost what we see on this 1935 piece, except that the first few pieces minted in 1897 were still criticized by some Swiss as being too frivolous to be an allegoric representation of the country. Finally the forehead curl was removed ... http://www.swissmint.ch/upload/_pdf/dokumentationen/d/VRENELI.pdf (in German) p.3 top left: the first design -- top right: the "improved" design -- bottom right: the "frivolous" curl that can be found on the twelve first 1897 pieces Christian
Chrisild- Thanks for the link! The early versions of the coin are gorgeous as well, and the wind blowing through her hair reminds me of our 1793 Chain Cent, also a controversial design. I don't know if the allegory is designed to represent liberty, but in my opinion, she should always be young, beautiful and looking forward. Thanks again for the link-Mike
de orc you should look at some of the other stuff i poste di tmight get you interested in us coins. did you get the qatar polymer by the way. kazakhstan and latvia still eleude me but otherwise the collectuion is complete
There is a lot to tell about the Goldvreneli coin, here some trivia: - The Vreneli 20SFr Coin is extrodinary popular in Switzerland, so popular in fact that it is the most popular lottery price In Christmas time you can win a Vreneli coin just about in every lottery or contest - Also it is a very common gift for high school graduations, retirements, weddings, communions and when a child is born - It is assumed that every household in Switzerland has at least one - There is also a 100SFr Vreneli coin (29,032g fine gold), which has only been minted in 1925 in a mintage of 5000 coins, current prices are 10.000SFr and more, if there is one being offered - Those coins minted in the years 1947 and 1949 are wearing the Latin edge inscription AD LEGEM ANNI MCMXXXI "according to the law of 1931"
Thanks for these bits of information. It's rare to get a first hand account of how some coins are viewed in their home countries.
In the late 1800's several European countries made gold coins with this size and weight, (21mm, 6.4gm) as part of a "Latin Monetary Union". The Union started with France, Austria, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland, and others joined in. I have had one of these and it's older 1883 cousin for some time. Switzerland 20 Francs 1947
Why did you sell/give it this beauty away? It´s true though that the Vreneli was part of the LMU, which by the way would be an outstanding topic to start a collection, if you have enough of fiat currency to do so. LMU gold coins are minted by following countries: Founded by France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland and accession by contract later, Spain, Greece, Romania, Austria-Hungary, Bulgary, Serbia, Montenegro and Venezuela Countries that also issued gold coins within LMU standards, but without joining the union officially: Finnland, Vatican City, Bulgary, Argentina, Tunesia, Danish West Indies, Poland, Albania.
