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20 Francs Trial
| Issuer | Swiss Federal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1883 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Helvetia facing right, wearing a diademed wreath with the word LIBERTAS inscribed across the headband, her hair braided and gathered at the nape with a ribbon. The circular legend CONFŒDERATIO HELVETICA runs along the upper periphery, separated from the effigy by a beaded border. The date 1883 appears in the lower field, flanked by two small decorative stars. The portrait is rendered in a refined neoclassical style engraved by Antoine Bovy. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Swiss Federal Mint, Bern |
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| Additional information |
The Swiss federal coinage system was consolidated under the Latin Monetary Union framework, and by the 1880s the Bern mint was periodically producing trial strikes to test dies, alloys, and machinery calibration before committing to full production runs. This 1883 gold trial almost certainly never entered circulation — Probemünzen of this type were typically retained by the mint, distributed to officials, or submitted to the Federal Council for approval. Divo/Tob Pr#25 is a catalogued rarity precisely because most trial strikes of this period were melted once a decision was reached.