Switzerland’s Special Coin 200 Years Swiss Shooting Sport Federation Hits the Bull’s Eye

25. July 2024

by Ursula Kampmann, translated by Maike Meßmann

What do you think of when you hear “Switzerland” and “shooting”? Do you think of shooting talers, William Tell, and/or the Swiss Federal Shooting Competition? Vito Noto told Ursula Kampmann what came to mind when he created the design for the newest Swissmint coin.

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From 16 to 18 August 2024, a major jubilee festival in Aarau will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation. About 130,000 members are invited to take part in the celebrations. A major event! After all, the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation is the fourth-largest sports association in Switzerland.

Here is a tip on how to find your way around the large festival area: It is best to head straight to the “Ausstellerzelt” (exhibitors’ tent), as this is where Swissmint’s latest special coin will be launched at exactly 7 pm. To the left of the tent entrance, you can purchase one of the 5,000 specimens of the special coin that commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation on all three days of the festival. And do not worry: the coins will not sell out on the very first day. Jan Niklas Betz, Head of Marketing & Sales of the Federal Mint Swissmint says: “We have reserved a certain number of coins for each of the three days, as well as for our Swissmint online shop, where sales will also begin at 7 pm sharp. By the way, the popular special editions with certificate from the artist are only available in the Swissmint shop.”

What makes this coin so special that Swissmint has to come up with quotas weeks in advance? It is one of the two special gold coins issued by Swissmint every year. Only 5,000 specimens are produced per issue, and they were sure to sell out quickly in recent years, especially when they were released in the context of a major event. 130,000 members of the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation and 5,000 coins – this is simple math.

Switzerland. 50-franc gold coin 2024 “200 Years Swiss Shooting Sport Federation”. 900 gold. 11.29 g. 25 mm diameter. Mintage figure: 5,000 Proof specimens.

The 200 Years Swiss Shooting Sport Federation Gold Coin

But let us first take a look at the design. The obverse of the 50-franc gold coin depicts what a bullet would see if it had eyes. Placed inside the barrel, it is surrounded by a helical rifling that gives it the spin to stabilise during its flight and reach the target. The tip of the cartridge is aimed at the centre of the target, the inscription of which refers to the occasion of the coin’s minting. 1824 2024 SSV – FST, to the left 200 ANS / ANNI / ONNS / JAHRE. SSV is short for Swiss Shooting Sport Federation (Schweizer Schiesssportverband in German). FST is the abbreviation of its name in Italian and French: Federazione sportiva svizzera di tiro, Fédération sportive suisse de tir.

Switzerland. 20-franc silver coin 2023 “Swiss Shooting Sport Federation”. 999 silver. 20 g. 33 mm diameter. Mintage figure: 15,000 uncirculated specimens. 5,000 Proof specimens.

The Swiss Shooting Sport Federation Silver Coin

The style of the design is in line with the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation silver coin, which was released by Swissmint on 2 June 2023. It features a large eye whose pupil serves as a target.

The reverse: the model as well as the silver and the gold coin.

The Reverse

The reverse also ties both special coins together. It was inspired by a forerunner of the Swiss shooting taler: a 4-franc piece issued on the occasion of the 1842 federal shooting festival in Chur. All reverse sides show an ensemble that was used on many coins at the time: the coat of arms of the Confederation is placed over a picturesquely draped composition of flags, rifles, an oak and a laurel branch, and a powder horn below. On top of the coat of arms is another reminiscence of early modern marksmanship: the beret of a landsknecht mercenary with three feathers.

Grisons. Shooting taler of 4 francs, 1842, Chur. From SINCONA auction 80 (2022), No. 5584.

The Inspiration from Grisons

In this way, Swissmint draws on the past, as the tradition of issuing coins to mark federal shooting festivals dates back to 1842. At that time, a silver coin was created featuring the coat of arms of the Three Leagues with the symbolic handshake on the obverse. With the inscription “Eidgenössisches Freischiessen in Chur 1842” (Federal Shooting Competition in Chur 1842), the reverse shows the very design we know from Swissmint’s special coins.

In 1842, the idea of a regular gathering of marksmen from all over Switzerland for a shooting competition was nothing new. The first shooting competition of the whole of Switzerland took place in 1827 and was in line with a development that emerged throughout Europe after the victory over Napoleon. France had shown the world that a citizen army was far superior to any army of mercenaries. The battle against France had awakened national feelings and demonstrated the need for a country to be able to defend itself.

As a result, local shooting clubs were founded, and these clubs organised shooting festivals. These events inspired the middle class. After all, they were now admitted to a sphere that had been dominated by the nobility. In addition, shooting festivals promoted the idea of the nation-state as Swiss people from different regions got to know each other. It did not take long for people from all corners of Switzerland to gather in the places that held shooting competitions.

The festival area of various Swiss shooting competitions in the 19th century. Archival documents in the Swiss Shooting Museum (Schützenmuseum) Bern. Photos: UK.

The crowds that flocked to the event were well on par with today’s mass events. And this caused budgetary problems. Of course, the marksmen paid for the right to shoot in the competition. But this was not enough to cover the vast expenses of the festival. This is how the idea of shooting medals and shooting talers came about, which were issued to raise additional funds. Initially, only medals were sold. But in 1842 they switched to commemorative coins, which could be sold in much larger quantities. As mentioned above, 6,000 shooting talers with a face value of 4 francs were minted in 1842 to celebrate the federal shooting competition in Chur. Thanks to seigniorage – the difference between face value and production costs – Grisons made a profit from every coin. And as many shooters did not spend their coins during the event but added them to their own collections, Grisons made even more profits. This gave a nice boost that helped cover the cost of the festival. Almost 130 years later, the Munich Olympics were co-financed in exactly the same way.

By the way, strictly speaking, the 4-franc piece from Grisons is not an actual “shooting taler” – after all, shooting talers were issued by the Confederation, not by individual cantons.

Vito Noto, a highly decorated Italo-Swiss designer, who created the design of Swissmint’s two special coins “200 Years Swiss Shooting Sport Federation” and “Swiss Shooting Sport Federation”. Photo: ©Vito Noto.

From the Topic to the Design: How Did You Do It, Mr. Noto?

A countless number of coins and medals have been issued for a myriad of shooting events since 1842. In fact, just about every motif that can be associated with the subject of shooting competitions has been explored by numismatic issues over the last 200 years. That begs the question, how can we still manage to take a fresh look at the subject? We talked about this with Vito Noto, who designed the two special coins.

Vito Noto is one of Switzerland’s most prominent industrial designers. The list of awards he and his design studio have received is endless; and he is a sought-after speaker who has influenced designers around the world with his lectures and workshops. But how does someone who mainly works with case systems, pipetting devices or equipment for the weaving industry come to design coins? “Well,” says Vito Noto, “actually, it all started with stamps. I have loved stamps since my early childhood. I found it incredible that it was possible to tell such colourful stories on such a small space. This also fascinated me as a designer. At some point in the late 1990s, I came into contact with the Swiss postal service. I was invited to take part in a first competition to design stamps. By now, I have created quite a lot of them – and not only for Switzerland, but also for Liechtenstein. And when Swissmint launched the small series on well-known Swiss Alpine passes, they turned to me. And now it happened again.”

The three coins depicting “Klausen Pass”, “Furka Pass” and “Susten Pass” were issued between 2018 and 2020. They all show rather representational depictions with the respective pass road and a vintage motorized vehicle. Stylistically speaking, the new coin is completely different. Therefore, it is interesting to see the different steps of the artistic process. In other words: how do you get from a shooting federation to an eye and a barrel?

A first brainstorming for the new special coins Swiss Shooting Sport Federation. ©Vito Noto.

Initial drafts for the new special coins Swiss Shooting Sport Federation. ©Vito Noto.

Focusing on the final topics of the new special coins Swiss Shooting Sport Federation. ©Vito Noto.

“It always starts with a brainstorming session,” Vito Noto explains. “I look for elements that are important to a certain field and that visualise the action – in this case, the act of shooting. Then we develop various concepts based on these elements that we present to the client. During this initial presentation, we will find out about the client’s favourite concepts, which we then continue to develop. We quickly decided that the coin would not feature the depiction of a marksman. We wanted to emphasise the sporting aspect of the shooting competition, and the motif of a shooting person would have been open to several interpretations. That is why we quickly got down to the action itself. And what is most important here is to get eye, barrel and target in line. That is the only way to hit the target.”

The focus was therefore on three elements that had to be incorporated into a shared narrative. Vito Noto: “We accompany the creation of an object from the initial idea to the finished product. The collaboration with Swissmint was perfect. This is extremely important. Much will be lost if the collaboration is not smooth. We used a 3D programme to prepare the designs, carefully defining the geometries as well as the gloss and frosted areas. The engraver, Remo Mascherini was an ingenious partner, and executed our design perfectly.

As a result, the gold and silver coins bear the small inscription VITO NOTO. On the gold coin, it can be found on the bottom segment of the barrel, on the silver coin in the field below the pupil. But which of the two coins does Vito Noto like better? He laughs: “Each of my children is special to me. I love them all. What I find particularly impressive this time is the ratio of size to motif. Imagine the eye on the gold coin. It would have been far too small. Or the barrel on the silver coin – that would not have been realistic. No, each of the two coins is just right.”

The only thing left to do is to pay him a compliment: “Mr. Noto, you are an artist.” But he disagrees: “I see myself as a designer. Artists make something for themselves. They do not care whether people can do anything with it or not. I do not work for myself but for those who will handle the object. And I apply the rules and values of art in a way that a wide audience will accept the object and find it beautiful. I base my designs on the needs of the user”.

Where and When Will the New Coin Be Available?

Is there anything else to add? Only that Swissmint’s new special coin can be purchased via their online shop from 7 pm on 16 August 2024. Moreover, a specified number of coins will be available at the Aarau shooting festival. They can be purchased at the Swissmint booth during the festival itself. The booth will open on Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday and Sunday on 10 am. The editions with certificate from the artist can only be purchased from the online shop. If you want to buy your coin online, we recommend you to register with eGovernment in good time. This service does not only enable you to make purchases from Swissmint, but you can also use other services of Switzerland’s administration.