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20 Rappen Pattern
| Issuer | Swiss Confederation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1851 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Rappen (0.20 CHF) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The date 1851 is prominently displayed in large numerals at the centre of a plain inner circle, surrounded by a wide flat border bearing the legend MONNAIE SUISSE above and ESSAI below, the latter flanked by two small six-pointed stars. The outer rim is decorated with a bold milled or crenellated border running the full circumference. |
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| Mintage | 1851 |
| Additional information |
Switzerland's federal coinage system was still taking shape in 1851, just three years after the new confederation's constitution centralized monetary authority away from the cantons. Nickel was under serious consideration as a base-metal option before billon ultimately won out for the fractional denominations. This piece is one of the surviving proofs of that deliberation — a pattern struck to test the metal, not a coin that ever came close to production.
The decision against nickel held for decades. Switzerland wouldn't issue circulating nickel coinage until the 1880s.