Swissmint is a coin mint which is responsible for the minting of official Swiss coinage on behalf of the Swiss Federal Government. The mint is headquartered in Bern, operates as a subsidiary of the Federal Finance Administration and has a designated budget.
Swiss franc coins minted by Swissmint are legal tender in Switzerland. Together with banknotes issued by the Swiss National Bank, these coins form the portion of base money available to private individuals.
The first Swiss federal coins were minted in 1850. The alloys used and the themes of Swiss franc coins have undergone few changes since the first issues were minted, with the forms and themes of some Swiss franc coins remaining unchanged since 1874. This has allowed Swiss franc coins to remain in circulation for long periods of time.
In addition to minting Swiss franc coins, the mint also issues precious metal coins (including gold coins) and commemorative coins. Among the best-known gold coins minted by Swissmint is the 20-franc Gold Vreneli, which was legal tender in Switzerland until 1936.
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