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5 Francs Pattern, silver
| Issuer | Swiss Confederation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An open wreath composed of laurel and oak branches, tied at the base with a ribbon bow, encloses the two-line inscription ESSAI / 1855 in bold relief at the centre of the field. The circular legend PRESSE MONETAIRE arcs along the upper border, while M. L. BOVY A GENEVE runs along the lower border, separated by small ornamental crosses. A finely toothed border surrounds the entire design. |
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| Mint | Private press of Marc Louis Bovy, Geneva |
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| Additional information |
The 1855 federal coinage reform was a contentious affair — Switzerland had only recently centralized its monetary system under the 1848 constitution, and cantons were still resisting the loss of minting rights they had held for centuries. This piece is one of several pattern proposals produced as the Confederation worked toward a unified franc coinage, predating Switzerland's entry into the Latin Monetary Union by a full decade.
The HMZ 2-1229b attribution places it among a small group of documented trials; survival numbers are genuinely low.