Making special coins even more special

Known and loved by (almost) everybody, traditional, shiny special coins are perennially popular in Switzerland, with most households having at least one. Swissmint, the official issuer of all Swiss coins, has given these small but perfectly formed works of art – each celebrating a specific aspect of the country – a presentational makeover. In this article, you’ll find out all about the reasons behind this change and why it represents a significant milestone – and not just for coin collectors.

Jan Niklas Betz, Head of Marketing & Sales Swissmint, with the newly packaged special coins.

Swissmint is a public body (part of Switzerland’s Federal Administration) and is committed to presenting its products and services in a professional yet also accessible way. Public engagement is key because, just like any other company or institution, we are in a constant global battle for attention. What does that mean in a world that is changing at an ever faster pace? It means embracing change without losing what makes us unique.

Every coin tells a story
Here at Swissmint, we really do love our coins, and one of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves a lot lately is: how can we get as many people as possible hooked on coins, aside from the collectors who already share our enthusiasm? This is about more than just selling special coins. What we really want to do is bring the multi-faceted history of coins, and the unique story that each one tells, to the world’s attention.

Appealing to the next generations
Creating coins that speak to all members of society is something we are firmly committed to, but it is also a task entrusted to Swissmint by Switzerland’s federal government, the Confederation. Our clientele is getting older, on the whole, which is something to be proud of in terms of customer loyalty. However, we are keen to get younger people passionate about coins too. The risk of an ageing population of enthusiasts is all too real, and we see this as a threat to the entire coin industry in Switzerland. Without a new generation of collectors coming through, demand will dwindle, jeopardising the long-term future of the coin trade.

New era of special coins
Against this backdrop, we have hired a new Head of Marketing & Sales and promptly set about overhauling our sales processes and marketing, as well as our products and their presentation. You are now holding one of the outcomes of that process: with our brand-new magazine Sondermünzen (German for „special coins“), we are ushering in a new era of special coins, as well as a completely new look.

This is the first step in our drive to foster and maintain interest in our special coins, the stories and history associated with them, and the traditions of the Swiss nation. We believe that the efforts involved in our „transformation“ have been worthwhile and will breathe new life into the world of coins, both here in Switzerland and internationally.

Brand
From now on, special coins issued by the Federal Mint will be sold under their own brand. The brand name „Eidgenössische
Sondermünzen“ and the slogan „A special piece of Switzerland“ are the cornerstones of our new image. The Mint will remain the same, but our products, and their marketing and sales in particular, are set to change.

Packaging
Packaging is integral to the appeal of our coins. Valuable insights from customer and dealer surveys and feedback are being incorporated into the design of our new packaging, which we are rolling out gradually.

For example, the presentation cases for our top-quality „Proof“ coins will soon be bigger, with a more sophisticated, black design. In general, one of the things we want to do with the new packaging is to celebrate craftsmanship and give it the place it deserves. We’ll be adapting the packaging of our „Brilliant uncirculated“ coins at a later date.

As for our coin sets, both the proof and the brilliant uncirculated versions will come in black packaging. Look more closely, however, and you’ll spot a small difference, with the proof boxes featuring blind embossing. By contrast, the Baby and Birthday coin sets will now have two different, and quite distinctive, sets of packaging: a colourful one for babies, and a darker version for older children, teenagers and adults.

For our bimetallic and silver coins, we are launching a brand-new product called a coin box, which will contain the uncirculated coin in transparent protective plastic as well as providing more information about the coin and the subject or event it commemorates.

The Christmas coin set and the folder are being discontinued, as is the „Trial minting“ product. From now on, we will be putting our actual pattern coins to one side and auctioning them off from time to time.

Alloy
Our silver coins will now be made from 999.9 fine silver. Containing no nickel, copper or brass, this is the purest silver available. By way of comparison, sterling silver contains only 925 fine silver. Until now, the fine silver content of our silver coins has been 0.835.5.

Communication
The magazine Sondermünzen will be published up to twice a year and will be available from the Federal Publications Shop run by the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (www.bundespublikationen.ch). We will also be launching a new website at the start of 2023. This will feature the same content as the magazine plus some additional information.

Innovation at the Mint
We are planning to set up a shop at the Federal Mint, with a scheduled opening date of December 2023. This will give people from Switzerland and around the world an opportunity to see and purchase our miniature works of art at the place where they were created. It will also give us the chance to introduce our visitors to the special coins and the stories and history behind them.

That’s enough announcements for now! We hope you are just as excited about these upcoming changes as we are and are looking forward to our new look and the minting programme for 2023.