On 12 September 1848, the old confederation became a federal state and the first permanent democracy in Europe. To commemorate the 175th anniversary of modern Switzerland, Swissmint, which produces exclusive and limited collector coins under the name "Swiss special coins", is putting a new special coin into circulation. As Head of the Federal Department of Finance, Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter today presented the new "175 years of the Federal Constitution" special coin to the public for the first time, and underlined the overriding importance of the first Federal Constitution for Switzerland: "Over the course of 175 years, as our society has changed, so has our Constitution. The first Federal Constitution, however, was a real stroke of genius – with it, in a very short time, our forefathers created an institutional foundation for modern Switzerland that remains stable to this day."

The new special coin will also be available in two versions, silver and gold, at the Bernerhof during the Open Federal Mile event on 1 and 2 July. During this weekend, the public will have the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at various federal buildings – including the Bernerhof, the headquarters of the FDF.

175 years of the Federal Constitution on a coin

The 20g special coin marking 175 years of the Federal Constitution is alloyed with 999.9 silver and shows the preamble of the Federal Constitution on the obverse – symbolically transposed with the terms of the text intertwining to form a very powerful symbol. The reverse features two angels bearing the Swiss coat of arms. In reference to the discussions about the reference to God in the Federal Constitution, the Olten artist, Peter Salzmann, left out the wings on one of the angels. "We usually see what we want to see – and so we are left with a figure that is familiar to us. The angel becomes Helvetia, the peacemaker. A virtue that is more important than ever in today's world," explained Salzmann. In addition, the nominal value of CHF 20 is depicted. 10,000 uncirculated coins and 4,250 coins in proof quality will be issued.

The version weighing 11.29g and alloyed with 0.900 gold shows the same motifs on both the obverse and on the reverse. The nominal value of the gold coin is CHF 50. 5,000 coins will be issued in proof quality.

Federal Mint Swissmint
The Federal Mint Swissmint produces the country's coins for use in everyday payment transactions. It also regularly issues circulation and special coins for the numismatic market. Special coins in bimetal, silver or gold bear an official, state-guaranteed, nominal value and are available in various minting qualities.

Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter presents Swissmint's special coin to mark the 175th anniversary of modern Switzerland