Switzerland 1934-B 5 francs KM-S18
This specimen was lot 8357 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $480. The catalog description[1] noted, "SWITZERLAND. Fribourg Shooting Festival 5 Francs, 1934-B. Bern Mint. NGC MS-68. Struck for the shooting festival of Fribourg. An almost faultless strike, with blazing luster throughout, frosty raised devices, and virtually no toning." This is the fifteenth in a series of "shooting festival thalers" issued by the confederation of Switzerland, starting with Solothurn (Dav-377, 1855), Bern (Dav-378, 1857), Zürich (Dav-379, 1859), Nidwalden (Dav-380, 1861) and La Chaux-de-Fonds (Dav-381, 1863). At some point they ceased to be legal tender and became strictly medals. This was the first issued since the one for the Zurich festival of 1885. Being of reduced size, it is not a Davenport crown. It accompanied a gold 100 francs.
Recorded mintage: 40,000 + 650 in matte finish.
Specification: 15 g, 0.835 fine silver, .402 troy oz ASW, 31.45 mm diameter, lettered edge.
Catalog reference: HMZ 2-1345 a, KMX-S18.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- 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.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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