Swiss Shooting Medals

A gorgeous 1920 oval Luzern pinback. 36mm x 26mm, silver, engraved by Burger. Catalogs at $150 in VF and $280 in UNC.




Richter #894, scarcity rating RR, one of my rarest Schutzenfest medals by far.

 

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And a 1904 Zurich, Richter #1789a, 27mm with 1000 struck in silver. And a beautiful design from Huguenin.
There is also a silver plated brass version of this that I would love to stumble across one day.



You may have noticed I like shooting medals that feature beautiful women. I can't help it, I like women more than men with rifles...

 

Beautiful artwork on those medals!!! I never knew, fascinating!! :thumb:

 

Hello,

I belong to a couple of numismatic forums and have not been very active here for quite some time although I visit somewhat frequently, I have not posted. Occasionally, I would like to show some of my Swiss schützenfest medals and memorabilia. I have been collecting schützenfest medals since 1980 and am an avid collector, my Father has been collecting since about 1961 or so.

If I can be of any assistance regarding Swiss schützenbfest medal questions, I will be happy to do my best at answering or attempting to impart educational information when I can.


I will post two rather rare medals. R1801b and 1801c. There is a mintage of 78 in silver and no documentation regarding the bronze mintage although my example is the only the second one I have seen since I began collecting.

 

Here is a rare medal from canton Glarus. With only 50 examples with the signature Homberg and only a total of 100 pieces in all varieties in silver, I am very happy to have this piece in such great condition as well as another.

1892 Glarus
R807b / M431
Federal Shoot
AR
45 mm
Engraver: Franz Homberg, Bern
Mintage: 100 pieces; 50 with Homberg, 50 with Homberg Fec
RR

 

1894 Iseo, canton Ticino
R1404a / M800
Tiratori Santa Maria
AR
39 mm
Engraver: Stefano Johnson, Milan
RRR

Note: As the year has been engraved, various dates may exist. So far, the following ones are known, 1894 and without date.

 

1922 Lugano, canton Ticino
R1458a / M852
4th Cantonal shoot of Ticino
AR
39 mm
Engraver: Huguenin, Le Locle
RR

 

I really like these a lot. I collect coins with bears on them so the only ones I have are ones with bears. Here are mine. Only one of them is really a medal though, as the others have a denomination. I'm not sure if they technically qualify.

 

Your medals are very nice. The coins with denominations are schützenfest talers/thalers. The first being a 5 franc piece and the last two being modern talers at 50 francs each. Your Bern 1910 piece is a true medal from the 1910 shoot in Bern.

Bern has many schützenfest medals with bears since a bear is part of the wappen (coat of arms). However, other cantons have medals with bears as evidenced by your modern taler from Appenzell.

 

Purely beautiful art work!

 

All beautiful, coins and medals. I have been thinking about buying the book Swiss shooting thalers and shooting medals for a long time, maybe now seeing these beautiful pieces I will.

 

Those are all some beautifully designed medals! I wish I had gotten into collecting those years or decades ago; I'm not sure I'd know where to start now.

If you don't mind my posting some German shooting medals I have, & asking some questions:
How are the German medals generally considered in relation to the Swiss ones? Do some people collect both?

I posted these on another forum thread & wanted to know: should I try to separate them (very carefully!). I like them on the chain but it makes them a lot harder to look at & handle. There were no medal guys who responded, but the consensus was, leave them on the chain. Anyone here have an opinion? TIA!

 

German shooting medals are very popular in Europe and specifically Germany. Many medals realize quite high prices in regards to rarity and condition. There are collectors of both here in the states but in my opinion, Swiss schützenfest medals have perhaps a larger audience than German ones. I have many German shooting medals but my primary interest are Swiss.

In regard to your question about your German medals on the chain. Most certainly keep them on the chain. Shooters took great pride in winning their medals and a shooter would frequently, over time, create a shooter's chain or König's necklace from medals he won in schützenfests. While your's is rather small in quantity, larger ones sell many times sell for over $1,000 when sold. My recommendation is to keep it like it is for the historical and intrinsic value.

 

I recently received the new 3rd Edition Richter Catalog and am extremely happy to have this great book!

The catalog per Jürg Richter has approximately 200 additions/corrections throughout but the main differences this 3rd Edition has when compared to others is:

1. Languages: English and Chinese

2. There is a generous Introduction including many illustrations about the history of Swiss Schützenfest. This portion is very well done!

3. At the beginning of each Canton grouping there is a page dedicated to the history of the Canton.

4. Next, after the Canton history, there are a couple of medals that are highlighted with allegorical and historical descriptions.

It is a wonderful edition and will in my opinion, increase the popularity of the hobby for English and Chinese speaking collectors because of the translations and the added histories. While the catalog is still just that, a catalog, the added histories, multiple historical pictures, Cantonal histories as well as the added information regarding the few medals at the beginning of each Canton group will enable the collector to gain added more knowledge and appreciation for this great field of collecting.

I believe that this same 3rd. Edition is available in German and Chinese translation but I have not spoken to Jürg directly about my assumption.

Price: 85 Euro

Here is the catalog page from the Battenberg Verlag site:




Keh Wee Kwang | Jürg Richter | Marcel Häberling
Swiss shooting thalers and shooting medals
瑞士 射击 塔拉尔 钱币 和 射击 节 纪念章

Published by Battenberg Verlag

ISBN: 978-3-86646-193-2

Edition: 3rd edition 2020

Illustrations: colored throughout

Hardcover: 632 pages

Format: 23.5 x 28 cm




This book deals with the history as well as the historical background of the marksmen and marksmen medals of Switzerland.
Over 2500 thalers and medals from the beginning in the early 17th century to 1960 were listed in detail and the majority were shown. This book thus becomes an indispensable reference work when it comes to determining and evaluating marksmen and marksman medals in Switzerland. Now in the 3rd edition as a German-Chinese version!

 

I have attached an example of one of my König's necklaces. This one is a larger example for your reference.

It would be worn with the wearer's head going up between the 2 center chains. That way there would be some medals showing on his back and the majority on his chest as he wore it, for example, in the schützenfest parade or celebration.

 

Great thread and thanks for reviving it @schutzenfester! I can only contribute an Austrian example.

 

But a very nice one.

 

1936 Bellinzona, canton Ticino
R1479b / M866
7th Ticino Cantonal Shoot
BR
40 mm
Mintage: 36 pieces (estimated)
Engraver: Huguenin, LeLocle
RR

 

1936 Bellinzona, canton Ticino
R1479a / M866
7th Ticino Cantonal Shoot
AR
40 mm
Mintage: 15 pieces (estimated)
Engraver: Huguenin, LeLocle
RRR