Switzerland 2002 50 francs
This specimen was lot 2509 in Goldberg sale 106 (Los Angeles, September 2018), where it sold for $864. The catalog description[1] noted, "Switzerland. 50 Francs, 2002. Shooting festival in Zurich. Rare. PCGS graded Proof 69 Deep Cameo." Shooting festival medals/coins are a Swiss tradition going back before confederation in 1848. The early ones (before World War One) were struck to the standard of a silver five francs and circulated as such even tho they bore no denomination. Later ones are strictly collector items with no face value and should be classed as medals, not coins. They are not listed in the regular SCWC. This one is accompanied by a gold thousand francs. It stole the design from the British "Una and the Lion" pattern five pounds of 1839.
Recorded mintage: 1,500.
Specification: 25 g, 0.900 fine silver, 38 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-XS61; Hab-66.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- 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]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, John Lavender, Yifu Che, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 106: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2018.
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