Silver Coin Honors 200 Years of Swiss Shooting Sports Federation
By Federal Mint Swissmint ……
In November last year, a new era was ushered in at Swissmint, the Federal Mint, with the new “Swiss Special Coins” brand. Beginning June 2, 2023, the latest creation, Swiss Shooting Sports Federation, will be available to mark the 200th anniversary of that organization.
Swissmint produces exclusive and limited-edition collector coins under the name Swiss Special Coins. The latest Swiss Shooting Sports Federation special coin is the first of the two-part series in honor of the organization. With it, Swissmint pays homage to the Swiss Shooting Sports Federation, which will celebrate its 200th anniversary August 16-18, 2024: The Swiss Shooting Sports Federation is one of the oldest sports federations in Switzerland. It was founded at the first federal shooting festival in Aarau in 1824, under the name “Swiss Shooting Association”. Today, it has around 130,000 members, making it the fifth-largest sports federation in Switzerland.
The 20g Swiss Shooting Sports Federation special coin, alloyed with 999.9 silver, shows an artist’s interpretation of an eye and a target on the obverse.
“Shooting sports require the highest precision and concentration, and the eye plays an important role in this. Our design is right on target,” jokes Jan Niklas Betz, Deputy General Manager & Head of Marketing/Sales at Swissmint.
For the reverse, elements were taken from the predecessor of what would later become the shooting taler – which did not have any nominal value at the time – that was produced to celebrate the Chur shooting festival in 1842. In addition, the nominal value of CHF 20 is depicted. 15,000 uncirculated coins and 5,250 coins in proof quality will be issued.
The anniversary “200 years of the Swiss Shooting Sports Federation” gold coin, to be issued in 2024, will complete the two-part series.
“Special coins to mark the 200th anniversary of the Swiss Shooting Sports Federation are a very nice idea. We also loved the idea of minting two coins, a silver coin and a gold coin, to mark this great anniversary. The fact that the silver coin is being released in the year before the event is intended, among other things, to draw the attention of the Swiss population to the Federation’s upcoming anniversary,” says Jürg Richter, author, numismatist, and head of Sincona AG.
The Swiss Shooting Sports Federation (SSV), with its headquarters in Lucerne, is the umbrella organization for Swiss shooting sports. With around 130,000 members, the Swiss Shooting Sports Federation is the fifth-largest sports federation in Switzerland. Around 60,000 marksmen and women hold a licence. Founded in 1824, the Federation now comprises around 2,600 shooting clubs represented by 34 member associations.
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About the Federal Mint Swissmint
The Federal Mint Swissmint produces Switzerland’s coins for use in everyday payment transactions. The Federal Mint also regularly issues commemorative coins and coinage of a higher standard for the numismatic market. Commemorative coins in bimetal, silver, or gold bear an official, state-guaranteed, nominal value and are available in various minting qualities.
