Swiss Confederation, 5 Rappen 1850

The first Swiss coins at 20, 10 and 5 rappens were made from billon. That is an alloy from a base metal and silver, with the silver content being relatively low. The fiver from 1850, therefore, contained only five percent of silver.

The motif was a simple Swiss shield garlanded with Alpine roses on the obverse and the value on the reverse.