Information about effigy: Helvetia, Standing

Helvetia, Standing
Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confœderatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest.

This second version, designed by Albert Walch and engraved by Antoine Bovy, replaced the earlier design of Helvetia Seated in 1874.

It features Helvetia standing on a platform, her head facing to the left. In her right hand (at the left), she holds a lance, and with her left (at the right), she props up a shield with the Swiss Cross at centre; thin vertical lines in the background of the shield are the heraldic representation of the red colour of the Swiss flag. In exergue is the legend HELVETIA.

On all coins made from 1874 to 1982, there are 22 five-pointed stars along the rim of the coin, going from the lower left to lower right boundaries of the obverse. These represent the 19 full Swiss cantons of the time and the six half-cantons, which are collectively represented by the three remaining stars. However, when the Canton of Jura broke away from Bern in 1979, the number of stars was no longer accurate. As a result, a new star was added to the right of Helvetia's likeness in 1983. On examples of all dates, the tip of Helvetia's lance extends to the rim and separates the ninth and tenth stars in the sequence. Nine of the stars are engraved up to the lance, two between the lance and Helvetia's face, and 11 or 12 to the right of the central allegorical figure, depending on the year of issue.

The engraver's signature, A.BOVY INCT. (an abbreviation for the Latin text "Antoine Bovy incidit", meaning "engraved by Antoine Bovy), is located around below, displayed counter-clockwise in small letters. It is split in two by the legend: "A.BOVY" appears to the left of "HELVETIA", and "INCT." to the right.

Helvetia, Standing - Example/s on coins
Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

Standing Helvetia on silver coin

Switzerland / Two Francs 1896

The Standing Helvetia symbol is shown here on the extremely rare 2 Francs coin of 1896.
Helvetia, Standing - showing 100 of 336 coins (Page 1 of 4)
NameMintageLegend
Two Francs 1874 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1875 982,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1875 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1875 1,036,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1876 2,500,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1877 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1877 2,520,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1878 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1878 1,500,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1879 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1879 518,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1880 945,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1881 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1882 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1886 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1886 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1887 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1894 800,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1894 1,200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1894 700,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1896 28 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1896 20 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1896 28 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1898 1,600,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1898 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1899 400,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1899 400,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1900 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1900 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1901 400,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1901 50,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1901 200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1903 300,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1903 800,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1903 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1904 200,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1904 400,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1904 400,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1905 300,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1905 600,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1905 700,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1906 700,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1906 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1906 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1907 800,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1907 300,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1907 1,200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1908 200,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1908 800,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1908 1,200,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1909 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1909 300,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1909 900,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1910 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1910 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1910 250,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1911 1,200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1911 400,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1912 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1912 1,200,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1913 1,200,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1913 300,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1913 800,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1914 2,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1914 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1914 4,200,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1916 800,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1916 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1916 250,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1920 2,300,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1920 5,400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1920 3,300,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1921 2,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1921 3,800,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1921 6,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1922 400,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1928 1,500,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1928 750,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1928 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1929 2,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1931 500,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1931 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1931 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1932 250,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1932 500,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1932 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1934 2,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1934 500,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1936 500,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1936 400,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1936 250,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1937 250,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1937 1,000,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1937 1,000,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1939 1,001,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1939 2,106,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1939 1,455,000 HELVETIA
Half Franc 1940 2,002,000 HELVETIA
Two Francs 1940 2,503,000 HELVETIA
One Franc 1940 2,003,000 HELVETIA
Showing 1 to 100 of 336 Coins.
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Helvetia, Standing: Details
Year1874
CountrySwitzerland
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