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5 Francs - Federal Treasury German text
| Issuer | Swiss Federal Treasury (Eidgenössische Staatskasse) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Francs (5 CHF) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 5 DIE EIDGENÖSSISCHE STAATSKASSE zahlt dem Ueberbringer FÜNF FRANKEN in gesetzlicher baarschaft. Bern, den 10. Aug. 1914. FINANZ DEPARTEMENT EIDG STAATSKASSE LIBERTAS |
| Reverse description | Printed in blue on a brown guilloche underprint, the reverse centres on a large ornate oval guilloche medallion bearing the trilingual denomination inscriptions in bold serif lettering: CINQ FRANCS above, FÜNF FRANKEN across the centre, and CINQUE FRANCHI below. Numeral 5 counters at left and right are set within intricate lathe-work rosettes, and a repeating border legend in all three Swiss national languages encircles the entire note. |
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| Comments |
Switzerland entered World War One as a neutral state but faced an immediate monetary shock: gold hoarding began within days of the July Crisis, and the Swiss National Bank suspended convertibility in early August 1914. These federal treasury notes — issued directly by the Confederation rather than the SNB — were an emergency response to the sudden drain on coin and the paralysis of normal banking flows. The series came in French, German, and Italian text variants to cover the linguistic regions, which is why this specific German-language version exists as a distinct catalogued type.
Ernst Stückelberg, a Basel painter better known for monumental historical canvases, was an unconventional choice for a banknote commission. The notes were printed at the federal printing works in Bern rather than contracted abroad, an unusual but deliberate wartime decision.