1973 Swiss Franc KM# 24a

Helvetia is the personification of Confœderatio Helvetica — also known as the nation of Switzerland — the same as Lady Liberty is for the USA. She takes her name from the Helvetii people who lived there during the Roman Empire's conquest of the area.

In this 1973 one franc Swiss coin, Helvetia is pictured on the obverse (front). She holds a spear in one hand and the other hand rests on a shield with the emblem of the nation's flag on it. The twenty-two stars encircling Helvetia represent the original sovereign cantons which comprised the federation when the nation formed.

The name "HELVETIA" appears on the bottom of the coin, flanked by "A. BOVY INCT" to acknowledge the engraver Antoine Bovy.

^{• PHOTO BY ME •}

The reverse (back) of the coin shows the denomination "1 Fr" and the year of minting (1973) inside a beautiful wreath of leaves and flowers.

^{• PHOTO BY ME •}

Although silver was used in francs long ago, this 1973 franc was minted from copper-nickel alloy. Its value is only about USD $0.60 today, but coins in better condition (VeryFine to Uncirculated) could command USD $2–$3. Still, it is a nice coin to have in an international collection.