Swiss Mint kicks off the year by commemorating a half-millennium since the Reformation

The Swiss Mint has debuted its first new coin of 2017 and it commemorates one of those truly epic events in world history, the Reformation. Generally said to cover the period from 1517 to 1648, the Protestant Reformation was a schism with the Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther and continued by others like John Calvin. The publishing of Martin Luther’s,  The Ninety-Five Theses began a movement that ended with large swathes of Europe no longer under Papal influence. Helped by war and the introduction of Gutenberg’s ground-breaking printing press, it would forever change the religious make-up of the continent and from there, the world.

As mints go, the Swiss Mint isn’t particularly prolific, introducing just a single gold and a few silver designs every year. They also strike in a fineness not used by most others, namely 0.835 silver. Popular many years ago, it’s largely fallen out of use in favour of 0.925 sterling and 0.999 fine silver grades. The coin is struck in two finishes. The proof coin sells for 60CHF and has a mintage of 5,000 pieces. A small number of these (200) were signed by sold out immediately. While the proof is boxed, the uncirculated coin isn’t, but as it sells for just 30CHF yet has the same specification apart from the finish, it’s easy to overlook. The coin in a small folder will sell for an extra 10CHF, but only 2,000 of the 30,000 coin mintage will be available this way.

The obverse is the usual Swiss one, simple and effective if a little underwhelming. The reverse depicts the two reformists most associated with Switzerland, Huldrych Zwingli and Johannes Calvin. Shown in bust form, they’re both based on classic artworks that depict these influential figures. Martin Luther worked predominantly in Germany, so is missing here. Just the title is inscribed on this nice, clean design. A relatively understated start to the year from the Swiss Mint, but a solid one for those interested in this important event. No doubt other mints will release coins to cover it. Available to order now.