The 2-franc
coin
By the time this magazine is published, we will have minted 9 million 2-franc coins in 2024. We would like to use this figure as an opportunity to tell you more about this coin.
1848
The establishment of the federal state in 1848 marked an era-defining milestone in Switzerland’s monetary history. The Federal Constitution transferred the sovereignty of coinage to the new federal state, resulting in the Act on Federal Coinage of 1850, and thus the creation of the new Swiss franc. The Swiss currency as we know it today has only existed since this time.
How it has changed
over the years
1850
Obverse: Coin value indicated above the year, framed by a wreath (left: oak leaves, right: rusty-leaved alpine rose).
Reverse: Helvetia seated with shield and plough, outstretched hand, the Jungfrau in the background.
Orientation: Medal, ribbed edge, mint mark: A.
Design: Friedrich Fisch, model and engraving: Antoine Bovy.
1860
Silver content: Reduced to 0.800. The two-franc coin stops being a full-bodied coin and becomes a token coin, meaning its intrinsic metal value is less than its legal value.
Orientation from 1860: Coin.
1874
New minting design: Helvetia standing in a wreath of 22 stars.
Edge minting: ribbed.
Design: Albert Walch, engraving: Antoine Bovy.
1894
Minting: By the Paris mint,
mint mark: A.
1968
Minting: Minted in copper-nickel (Cu 75 – Ni 25) as a result of the sharp rise in silver prices,
mint mark: B.
1982
Orientation: Medal.
1983
Reverse: Circle of stars with an additional star for the canton of Jura, newly founded in 1979.
2019
Minting: With updated coin designs. Pearl wreath separated from the edge on both sides. Helvetia design adapted to the original Bovy model. Minor adjustments to improve mintability.
Source
Ernst Baltensperger, Der Schweizer Franken – Eine Erfolgsgeschichte. Die Währung der Schweiz im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, page 80.