Switzerland 1850A Franc VG-F (VG10) $

Switzerland 1850A Franc VG-F (VG-10) $

Before Switzerland became a federal state in 1848, the country was gripped by chaos as each canton (one of the 26 constituent states, similar to states in the U.S, that form the Swiss Confederation) issued its own currency, and foreign coins circulated freely. It was not uncommon for travellers to have multiple wallets and keep running to exchange offices due to the constant changing of currency from canton to canton. The introduction of the federal constitution of 1848, Article 36, stripped the cantons of their right to mint coins and handed the responsibility to the Federal Government. After much debate over what monetary system to adopt, the government agreed upon the French model with the Franc and its decimal system and put forward the Coinage Act of 1850, marking Switzerland's first standardized coinage.  

The 1850A Franc was minted in 90% Silver and shows Helvetia Seated on the obverse, the female national personification of Switzerland. The coin also features the mint mark "A" which designates the coin as being minted at the Monnaie de Paris mint in France. 

Obverse: Helvetia seated, facing left, wearing laurel wreath and toga, with right arm raised, and holding shield with coat of arms of Switzerland in left hand. Plow and wheat spikes to the right with mountains behind. 
Reverse: Wreath formed of oak and alpine rose branches tied with a ribbon below. 

Specifications:
Designer: Friedrich Fisch 
Composition: 0.900 Silver, 0.100 Copper
Weight: 5g 
Diameter: 23.2 mm 
Edge: Reeded 
Die Axis: ↑↑
Mint: Monnaie de Paris 
Mintage: 5 750 000