On 16 April 2020, Swissmint sent a letter to its clients informing them about the adjustments made due to COVID-19. There will be postponements and changes. We summarised and commented on the most important facts:
Fundamental Changes Regarding Swiss Gold Coins
The 50 franc “Roger Federer” gold coin will be the first Swiss gold coin minted according to new standards. Whereas weight, size and fineness remain the same, the composition of the alloy the piece is made of was changed. In line with the old vreneli, Swiss gold coins were traditionally produced by using the same composition, namely 900 parts of gold and 100 parts of copper. This alloy was often used for gold circulation coins as it made coins harder and their surfaces more resistant to scratches and deterioration.
Since modern Swiss gold coins are practically no longer used in circulation, Swissmint decided to reduce the 100 parts of copper to 40 and to replace the other 60 parts with silver. This offers several advantages:
- the colour of gold coins will be brighter and therefore better in line with what today’s collectors are used to see,
- production is easier and more efficient as less die wear occurs,
- improved flow qualities offer the possibility of creating higher reliefs.
7 May Postponed to 3 September
The issue date of all commemorative coins planned for 7 May was postponed to 3 September. This affects the following coins:
- 50 franc “Roger Federer” gold coin,
- 20 franc “Roger Federer” silver coin – restrike of 40,000 units, uncirculated,
- 20 franc silver coin “150 years of the Swiss Firefighters Association”, proof quality and uncirculated.
No Changes to 3 September Issues
The following commemorative coins will be issued as planned on 3 September 2020:
- 20 franc “Susten Pass” silver coin, proof quality and uncirculated,
- 20 franc “NRLA-Ceneri 2020” silver coin, proof quality – ATTENTION! This product is not included in the subscription and must be ordered separately,
- 20 franc “Roger Federer” silver coin, trial minting,
- 2020 Christmas coin set,
No Reservations or Pre-Orders
All products can be ordered as of 3 September 2020 via the Swissmint webshop or by using the order form that will be included in the forthcoming issue of the customer magazine “Heads or Tails” on 20 August.
If you want to amend your subscription, you can do it immediately. Amendments received by 20 July 2020 will be processed in a way that ensures that the subscription is updated on the issue date of 3 September 2020.
No Orders from Abroad
Due to the current difficulties regarding the Swiss Post, Swissmint had to impose a temporary suspension of orders from abroad.
Even in those countries to which the Swiss Post currently delivers letters and parcels, it’s impossible to verify if a consignment was delivered correctly as postal services no longer provide consignment receipts.
Foreigners that do not want to forgo acquiring a Swiss commemorative coin should contact the members of the Association of Swiss Professional Numismatists “Verband Schweizer Berufsnumismatiker”.
Beware of Fraudulent Emails
Whereas the traditional forms of crime are in rapid decline in the era of COVID-19, cyber-criminality is increasing at an alarming rate. Currently fraudulent emails are being sent in the name of Swissmint in an attempt to gain information on invoices and bank accounts.
Please note that Swissmint neither sends such emails nor does it demand confidential information from its clients. Do not answer such emails but delete them – ideally unopened.
Swissmint has taken appropriate steps to identify the origin of these fraudulent emails.
The Swissmint website always keeps you up to date.
There you can also order the print version of the customer magazine “HEADS OR TAILS” or download older issues.
In 1906, the foundation stone was laid for today’s historic Swissmint building. Obviously CoinsWeekly reported on the 100th anniversary.
If you want to know exactly how coins are produced at Swissmint, we recommend this article.
