8 Franken

The 8 Franken denomination was peculiar to a handful of Swiss cantons in the Napoleonic and immediate post-Napoleonic period, issued before the Confederation standardized its coinage with the Federal Mint Law of 1850. Solothurn's 1813 issue falls in the final years of Helvetic instability, when cantonal minting rights were being exercised with something close to urgency — the political future of decentralized coinage was already uncertain.

Surviving examples are scarce. Solothurn was among the smaller minting authorities, and gold issues at this weight and fineness were not struck in large numbers under any circumstances.