Five Francs 1941 Anniversary of Confederation, Coin from Switzerland - detailed information

The Five Francs coin is a circulating denomination of the Swiss Franc. Given that Switzerland has four official languages, the Franc has three different names: Franken in German, franc in French and Romansh, and franco in Italian. Initially when federal Swiss coinage was introduced in 1850, all "francs" (including the half franc) were full-bodied silver, while the centimes were either billon (low-grade silver) or base metal.

Normal circulating coins went through several transformations: with a seated figure of Helvetia on the obverse, then a portrait of Helvetia, then the current design by Paul Burkhard. The earliest coins were issued with the specifications of the Latin Monetary Union until in 1931 when the coins were made smaller and the content was slightly debased to 0.835 silver / 0.165 copper.

Starting in 1936, the country also occasionally issued circulating commemorative one-year type 5 Franc coins to mark various important occasions. These had the same dimensions and silver content as those of the regular type. Together with them, they were demonetised on 1st April 1971 when silver was abandoned and the current CuproNickel 5 Fr. coins became the only 5 Francs in circulation.

The 1941 Five Francs coin is only the third Swiss commemorative coin. It marks the 650th anniversary of the Confederation of Switzerland ("Bundesfeier" in German).

The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance (German: Bundesbrief) is one of the earliest constitutional documents of Switzerland. A treaty of alliance from 1291 between the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, the Charter is one of a series of alliances from which the Old Swiss Confederacy emerged. In the 19th and 20th century, after the establishment of the Swiss federal state, the Charter became the founding document of Switzerland in the popular imagination.

The Charter documents the Eternal Alliance or League of the Three Forest Cantons (German: Ewiger Bund der Drei Waldstätten), the union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland. It is dated to early August 1291, which in the 20th century inspired the date of Swiss National Day, 1 August. Written in Latin, the Charter makes reference to a previous (lost or unwritten) pact.

The "Rütlischwur" (German), depicted on the obverse of the coin, is the legendary oath taken by the representatives of the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, traditionally dated to 1307. It is named for the site of the oath-taking, the Rütli, a meadow above Lake Uri near Seelisberg.

The obverse design is by Ernst Suter and the reverse was designed Luc Jaggi.