100 years 100-franc Vreneli
The “100 years 100-franc Vreneli” special coin has been available since 1 July 2025. This expertly designed gold coin showcases a clever combination of tradition and modernity.
Where, in 1925, Switzerland was portrayed by the profile of a young girl gazing into the distance, today it’s a young woman, looking firmly and steadfastly at the observer. Both depictions fulfil the objective set in 1895 by the Federal Department of Finance: “The new coin design should convey a universally understandable image of Switzerland, with a Swiss national motif, using Helvetia as an allegorical or historical-symbolic representation”. As such, the obverse of the “100 years 100-franc Vreneli” harks back to this allegorical figure of Helvetia. She is wearing a crown made of laurel, to symbolise wisdom and triumph, and of edelweiss, to symbolise Switzerland; the reverse of the 1925 100-franc Vreneli, the symbolic coin of Switzerland, is featured above her crown.
Obverse
On the obverse, the new gold Vreneli incorporates elements of the original, combining the Swiss cross shining over the Swiss Alps with gentians and alpine roses. The effigy of the young woman is shown split into two parts on the obverse. On the right, the elements in relief symbolise the strength that this young woman draws from the security of a great past. On the left, the elements are subtler, symbolising the future and the stories that the gold Vreneli is yet to write. The anniversary dates are engraved next to the effigy of the young woman, surrounded by the words “CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA”.
Reverse
Elements of the original gold Vreneli also appear on the reverse of the new one. A detailed image of the famous Vreneli shows the effigy of the most famous Swiss lady, inset in a geometric composition consisting of a circle, a vertical line and a curved line. On the left of this appears the face value of CHF 100. The branches of gentians and alpine roses also hark back to the original version. Both branches curve towards the coin’s face value, drawing the line of vision away from the image of the Vreneli, and towards the value of the new coin. The signature of the artist Chiara Principe and a “B” for Bern are also clearly discernible.
Tradition:
Have you noticed that the reverse of the original coin is shown on the obverse of the new one? And the obverse of the original is on the reverse of the new coin? This is another way the artist connects tradition with modernity.