The golden girl
The Goldvreneli is one of Switzerland’s best-loved coins. In the beginning, however, the Vreneli was a Helvetia and what’s more, one that stirred heated debate.
Bernhard Graf
Bernhard Graf is a cultural mediator and has been living in Ticino for many years.
E-mail: info@spaziergang.info Website: spaziergang.info/
Interestingly, the Vreneli depicted on the coin is actually a Helvetia. Her likeness was designed by Neuchâtel artist Fritz Ulysse Landry. His depiction of the mother of the nation came under fire from the very beginning. The jury responsible for assessing the image thought the woman depicted seemed too young and too unrefined. Landry made some adjustments to the image, and the coin was approved for minting. But even after that there was constant criticism: Helvetia was still too young, William Tell would have been better, the mountains in the background would be representative of only a small part of the country, and so on. But whether Helvetia or Tell would have been better, the Swiss people nevertheless liked the coin. And they liked the young woman in particular. And so the name Goldvreneli entered the vernacular in the 1940s, and has remained to this day.
William Tell, or not William Tell?
More men abroad
Anyway, thanks to the different images on the euro currency, the great diversity of Europe’s countries is still reflected in the trove of coins left over from any European holiday – and there’s no need for any conversion into lire or drachma. So the panettone from the Christmas market in Aosta is a true pleasure, and the Greek honey tastes even sweeter.
The Vreneli, however, calls for a little brainpower and a calculator. Depending on the price of gold, the coin moves up and down in the collector’s market, which is not always predictable. It can quickly turn into money. But what wouldn’t you do for your loved ones…
