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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Clinker, post: 279321, member: 6229&quot;]<font face="Arial"><font size="3"><b><i>Schutzenfeste:</i></b></font></font></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><font size="3"><font face="Arial">I was hoping you&#039;d read this trivia. Just imagine you and me taking a numismatic trip back in time to the year 1857 during a magical time located in Berne, Switzerland, the land of the annual <b><i>Schutzenfeste</i></b>.</font></font></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><font size="3"><font face="Arial">Look at all the people in town wanting to celebrate this festive occasion. </font></font></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><font size="3"><font face="Arial">Before you get wrapped up in all the excitement, let me point out that <b><i>Schutzenfeste</i></b> in English is Shooting Festival. It <font face="Times New Roman">is an annual traditional festival celebrated in the Swiss Cantons, Northwest regions of Germany as well as in Bavaria. It is a kind of local fair featuring a shooting match among members of the local marksmen&#039;s association and usually takes place in summer.</font></font></font><font face="Arial"></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">At a <b><i>Schützenfeste</i></b>, contestants compete their shooting abilities, for example by shooting at a wooden representation of an eagle. The winner of the competition becomes the &#039;Schützenkönig&#039; (&quot;king of marksmen&quot;) until the next year&#039;s competition.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Since this is 1857, you&#039;ll notice, that all the participants in the shootout are carrying their own rifles. The first Shooting Festival was held way back in the 15th century using crossbows.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">These festivals proved to be very lucrative for the individual cantons, so a Federal Shooting Festival (<b><i>Eidgenossiche</i></b>) was initiated in 1824 and was held in the following cantons:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">After 1798 Shooting Festival coins are in Francs, not<u> <b>Thalers</b></u> and some of those after 1935 do not contain silver.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>NOTE: (FROM WIKIPEDIA)</b> &quot;The <i>Thaler</i> was the currency of the Swiss canton of Berne until 1798. It was subdivided into 40 <i>Batzen</i>, each of 4 <i>Kreuzer</i>. It was replaced by the Frank of the Helvetian Republic in 1798. This was, in turn, replaced by the Berne Frank.&quot;</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1834 Zurich</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1838 Saint Gallen </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1843 Chur</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1849 Aarau and future festivals will be held in the following cantons during the dates noted:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1861 Stans</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1867 Schwyz </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1874 Saint Gallen </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1885 Berne and Kirchenfeld </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1890 Frauenfeld </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1904 Saint Gallen</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1907 Zurich</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1910 Berne and Wankdorffeld </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1924 Aarau</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1929 Bellinzona</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1940 Lucerne</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1947 Chur </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1954 Lausanne </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1958 Biel </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1963 Zurich </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1969 Thun </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1972 Biel</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1977 Zurich </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1985 Chur </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1990Winterthur</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">1995 Thun </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">2000 Biere </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">2005 Frauenfeld </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><br /></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Come with me into this beer garden. Notice the silver coins being offered by the customers are silver dollar-sized and are called <b><i>Thalers</i></b>.</font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Thalers were the coin of much of Europe for about 400 years, but eventually they&#039;ll give way to the frank. During that 400 year period, all cantons in Switzerland minted their own coinage including the Berne <b><i>Thaler</i></b>.</font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3">Thus, you have <b>Berne Thalers, Saint Gallen Thalers, Zurich Thalers </b>and all cantons in Switzerland plus these German States: <font face="Times New Roman">Bad Berle, North Rhine, Westphalia, Biberac an der Ricf, Baden Wurttemberg, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Neuss, Hovelhof, Oestinghausen, Rietberg, Salzkotten, and Balve.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Here&#039;s the obverse of a Solothurn 1855 <b><i>Thaler</i></b>:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Images courtesy of Zumbo:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05da.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05da.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05da.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">and here&#039;s the reverse:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05dr.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05dr.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05dr.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Wonder what an 1859 Zurich <b><i>Shooting Thaler</i></b> looks like? Take a look:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>Obverse:</u></b></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fa.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fa.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fa.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>Reverse:</u></b></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fr.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fr.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05fr.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">What about an 1872 Zurich? First the obverse:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05la.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05la.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05la.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">and the reverse:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05lr.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05lr.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05lr.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">After seeing the three coins already presented, is there any wonder why there are so many <b><i>Shooting Thaler</i></b> collectors? </font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">T o further whet your appetite look at the next ones I have chosen to show you.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">An 1861 Stans <b><i>Shooting Thaler</i></b>:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ga.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ga.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ga.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Here&#039;s the reverse:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05gr.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05gr.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05gr.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">An 1874 Saint Gallen awaits your approval:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>Obverse:</u></b></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ma.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ma.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ma.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>Reverse:</u></b></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05mr.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05mr.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05mr.jpg</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">And now for the real reason we&#039;ve arrived here in Berne. Every canton hosting a Shooting Festival strikes a special <b><i>Thaler</i></b> to commemorate the event. It&#039;s called a <b><i>Shooting Thaler</i></b>. We can pick one up at that bank.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>Shooting Thalers</i> </b>were not struck for general circulation, but as a commemorative of the festival, however many banks and local businesses within the canton accept them as lawful currency. Now let&#039;s take a look at our Berne 1857 <b><i>Thaler:</i></b></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Images courtesy of Zunbo:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Isn&#039;t this obverse a good representation of the Festival?</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ea.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ea.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05ea.jpg</a></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">And this reverse is a work of art!</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><a href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05er.jpg" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05er.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.zumbo.ch/coins/ch/jpegs_l/chsh05er.jpg</a></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Now come with me back to the present inside the Smithsonian Instution. See that 1804 Silver Dollar? It is the rarest of all the 1804s. It was struck without authorization between 1857 and 1860 over a 1857 Berne <b><i>Shooting Thaler</i></b>.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Look close:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/1804_dollars/mint_1804_silver_dollar_class2.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/1804_dollars/mint_1804_silver_dollar_class2.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.coinfacts.com/silver_dollars/1804_dollars/mint_1804_silver_dollar_class2.htm</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">For those of you who collect &quot;shooting&quot; coins, here&#039;s a 1934 example of a Swiss &quot;Shooting 5 Frank&quot; coin:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Image courtesy of World Coin Gallery:</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=nmc1/172-s18&amp;desc=Switzerland%20kms18%205%20Francs%20(1934)%20Shooting%20Festival" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=nmc1/172-s18&amp;desc=Switzerland%20kms18%205%20Francs%20(1934)%20Shooting%20Festival" rel="nofollow">http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=nmc1/172-s18&amp;desc=Switzerland%20kms18%205%20Francs%20(1934)%20Shooting%20Festival</a></font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Please let me know if you enjoyed this trivia.</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Clinker</font></font></font></p><p><font face="Arial">&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Arial"></font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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