Switzerland 1850-AB 5 rappen
This specimen was lot 4240 in Sincona sale 87 (Zürich, October 2023), where it sold for 600 CHF (about US$808 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"SCHWEIZ Eidgenossenschaft, 5 Rappen 1850 AB, Strassburg. Selten in dieser Erhaltung. Fast FDC. (confederation of Switzerland, five rappen of 1850, Strasbourg mint. Rare in this condition, About uncirculated.)"
This type was minted 1850-51 in Strasbourg, France, as the Helvetic Confederation was being organized. It is accompanied by billon ten and twenty rappen. It comes mintmarked AB (shown here), BB and without mintmark, which last is very rare. It was later minted in Bern 1872-77 before being converted to copper-nickel in 1879. We don't know how the "AB" mintmark came to be; perhaps some dies were intended for the Paris mint (mintmark "A") and were diverted to Strasbourg without properly effacing the old mintmark.
Recorded mintage: 7,970,000 (all varieties).
Specification: billon, this specimen 1.63 g.
Catalog reference: KM 5, Divo 8, HMZ 1211b.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 87, World Coins and Medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2023.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Divo, Jean-Paul, and Edwin Tobler, Die Münzen der Schweiz, im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, Zürich: Bank Leu & Co AG, 1969.
- Richter, Jürg, and Ruedi Kunzmann, Neuer HMZ-Katalog, Band 2: Die Münzen der Schweiz und Liechtensteins 15//16. Jahrhundert bis Gegenwart, Regenstauf, Germany: H. Gietl Verlag GmbH, 2006.
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