Swiss Confederation, 5 Francs 1850

During the first half of the 19th century, every Swiss canton minted its own coins. The resulting confusion is hard to imagine today – good, valuable money mixed with worthless coins. Only when the sovereign single states joined into the Swiss Confederation in 1848, a legal basis for a complete reformation of the Swiss currency was at hand.

Antoine Bovy from Geneva designed the first series of Swiss coins that showed the image of a sitting Helvetia. This type was minted until 1874, when it was exchanged by the standing Helvetia.