1/2 Franc Helvetia seated

Switzerland's federal coinage system was only created in 1848, when the new constitution finally stripped the cantons of their individual minting rights — ending a chaotic patchwork of over 860 distinct coin types that had made commerce across the confederation a bureaucratic nightmare. The Paris Mint struck the earliest federal issues, including this type, before Bern's own facilities were fully operational.

The 1850–1851 run was effectively a foundational issue, produced in limited quantities relative to later decades. Circulated survivors frequently show rapid attrition on the silver surfaces, a predictable consequence of the coin's modest size meeting heavy commercial demand in a newly unified monetary zone.