Banknotes of the Swiss franc
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Banknotes of the Swiss franc are issued by the Swiss National Bank in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1,000 Swiss francs.
Between 2016 and 2019, the eighth series (while remaining valid) was being replaced by the ninth series. All banknotes starting from the sixth series are exchangeable; banknotes from the fifth series ceased to be valid (fully demonetised) on 1 May 2000.
History
The first banknotes in Switzerland were issued in 1825 by the Caisse de dépôt of the city of Bern.[1]
During the 19th century the cantons (states) of Switzerland had the right to print their own notes. Following the law of 8 March 1881 the Swiss National Bank had the exclusive right to issue banknotes in Switzerland. Its first notes were issued in 1907. Since then, nine series of Swiss franc notes have been printed, six of which have been completely released for use by the general public, and a new series started being released in 2016.
Switzerland is unusual among affluent countries in that it used to expire its banknotes; the Swiss National Bank has declared several older series of banknotes to be no longer legal tender some time after introducing newer series.[2] Notes from these "recalled" series could be exchanged for still-valid notes at the National Bank for up to 20 years after the date of recall, after which the notes lost all value. When recalled series become valueless, the National Bank transfers an amount of money equal to the sum of the now-worthless notes to a state-run last-resort disaster insurance fund, the Swiss Fund for Aid in Cases of Uninsurable Damage by Natural Forces.[3] In June 2019, the Swiss parliament passed a bill that removed the twenty-year time limit. Effective 1 January 2020, all banknotes starting from the sixth series issued in 1976 as well as any future series remain valid and can be exchanged for current notes indefinitely.[2][3][4][5]
In April 2021, the Swiss National Bank announced that it was recalling its eighth series of banknotes issued between 1995 and 1998; the series was replaced by the ninth series launched between 2016 and 2019.[6] In May 2021, the banknotes lost their status as legal tender and are no longer valid for payments.[6]
Overview
Overview of all series of Swiss banknotes[7] | ||||||
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Series | Introduction | Date recalled | Valueless since | Designer | Remark | |
1st | 1907 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 | Josef Storck and Albert Walch | Changeover notes, similar to notes used by earlier banks | |
2nd | 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | Eugène Burnand, Ferdinand Hodler, S. Balzer | ||
3rd | 1918 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 | Orell Füssli | War notes; only partially issued | |
4th | — | — | — | Victor Surbeck and Hans Erni | Reserve series, never issued | |
5th | 1956 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 | Pierre Gauchat and Marcus Korsten | ||
6th | 1976 | 1 May 2000 | — | Ernst and Ursula Hiestand | No longer legal tender, can be exchanged at full nominal value at Swiss National Bank[8] | |
7th | — | — | — | Elisabeth and Roger Pfund | Reserve series; never issued | |
8th | 1995 to 1998 | 30 April 2021 | — | Jörg Zintzmeyer | Recalled April 30, 2021 [9] | |
9th | 12 April 2016 | — | — | Manuela Pfrunder | Current series; introduced 2016 to 2019 |
All series of Swiss banknotes
First series
1st series of Swiss banknotes[10] | |||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | |||
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50 francs | 166 × 103 mm | Green/Yellow | Helvetia | Ornaments | 20 June 1907 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 |
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100 francs | 183 × 116 mm | Blue | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||
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500 francs | 199 × 126 mm | Green | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||
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1000 francs | 215 × 132 mm | Purple | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Second series
The second series of Swiss banknotes was issued between 1911 and 1914.
2nd series of Swiss banknotes[11] | ||||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Date of | Notes | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | ||||
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5 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Brown/Green | William Tell | Ornaments | 3 August 1914 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 | |
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10 francs | 135 × 82 mm | Brown/Yellow | Woman from Neuchâtel | Ornaments | — | — | — | Reserve note |
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20 francs | 163 × 95 mm | Blue/purple | Vreneli | Ornaments | 31 July 1914 | 31 December 1935 | 1 January 1956 | |
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50 francs | 165 × 106 mm | Green | Woman's head | Woodcutter | 22 December 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |
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100 francs | 181 × 115 mm | Dark blue | Woman's head | Reaper | 16 September 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |
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500 francs | 200 × 125 mm | Red/Brown | Woman's head | Embroideres | 24 December 1912 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |
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1000 francs | 216 × 131 mm | Purple/Orange | Woman's head | Foundry | 16 September 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Third series
The third series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1918; some of the notes were issued as war notes, while others were kept as reserve.[12]
Fourth series
The fourth series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1938 as a reserve series and was never issued.
4th series of Swiss banknotes[13] | |||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Date of issue | ||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
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50 francs | 167 × 96 mm | Green | Woman's head | Bull | Never issued (reserve series) |
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100 francs | 190 × 106 mm | Blue | Woman from Haslital | Ornaments | |
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500 francs | 210 × 116 mm | Brown-red | Woman's head | Chemistry | |
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1000 francs | 228 × 125 mm | Purple | Woman's head | Turbine | |
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Fifth series
The fifth series of Swiss banknotes was issued starting in 1957.
5th series of Swiss banknotes[14] | ||||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Designer | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | ||||
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10 francs | 137 × 75 mm | Red-brown | Gottfried Keller | Bennet blossoms | Hermann Eidenbenz | 1 October 1956 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 |
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20 francs | 155 × 85 mm | Blue | Guillaume-Henri Dufour | Thistle | 29 March 1956 | |||
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50 francs | 173 × 95 mm | Green | Head of a girl | Apple harvest | Pierre Gauchat | 14 June 1957 | ||
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100 francs | 191 × 105 mm | Dark blue | Head of a boy | St Martin | 14 June 1957 | |||
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500 francs | 210 × 115 mm | Brown-red | Head of a woman | Fountain of Youth | 14 June 1957 | |||
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1000 francs | 228 × 125 mm | Purple | Head of woman | Danse Macabre | 14 June 1957 | |||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Sixth series
6th series of Swiss banknotes[15] | |||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | |||
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10 francs | 137 × 66 mm | Red | Leonhard Euler | Water turbine, the solar system and a scheme of propagation of rays of light passing through lenses | 5 November 1979 | 1 May 2000 | none (abolished)[16] |
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20 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Blue | Horace-Bénédict de Saussure | Mountain range, a group of alpinists and the Ammonshorn | 4 April 1979 | ||
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50 francs | 159 × 74 mm | Green | Conrad Gessner | Eagle owl, primula, stars | 4 October 1978 | ||
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100 francs | 170 × 78 mm | Dark blue | Francesco Borromini | Upper part of the dome-tower as well as the floor plan of the church Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza | 4 October 1976 | ||
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500 francs | 181 × 82 mm | Brown | Albrecht von Haller | Muscular figure of a human body, graph of respiration and the circulation of the blood, and a purple orchis | 4 April 1977 | ||
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1000 francs | 192 × 86 mm | Purple | Auguste Forel | Three ants and a cross-section of an anthill | 4 April 1978 | ||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Seventh series
A seventh series of Swiss banknotes was designed and printed in 1984, in parallel with the sixth series, but was never released. It formed the reserve series, to be released, for example, if the current series were suddenly to become widely counterfeited. At first, almost no information was released on the series for security reasons, except for small fragments. However, after the eighth series was released, it was decided to improve the security features of the current series rather than develop a new reserve series. The details of the seventh series were later released, while the actual banknotes were destroyed. The designers were Roger Pfund and Elisabeth Pfund. They had originally won the competition for the design of the sixth series, but since the Swiss National Bank decided to use the design by Ernst and Ursula Hiestand instead, the Pfunds were charged with the design of the reserve series.[17][18]
7th series of Swiss banknotes[15] | |||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Description | Date of issue | ||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
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10 francs | 137 × 66 mm | Red-brown | Leonhard Euler; development of the polyhedron, the bridges of Königsberg | Gamma function; table for the calculation of numbers; diagram of the Solar System | Never issued (reserve series) |
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20 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Blue | Horace-Bénédict de Saussure; quartz crystals; Hornblende beam | Hair hygrometer, view of the valley of Chamonix and the Mont Blanc massif; expedition to the Tacul glacier | |
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50 francs | 159 × 74 mm | Green | Conrad Gessner; branch of a dwarf cherry tree; foliage of the bush | Golden eagle (based on a woodcut from Gessner's Historiae animalium); "Metamorphosis of animals"; Latin text from the Historiae Animalium referring to the seven-headed hydra | |
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100 francs | 170 × 78 mm | Dark blue | Francesco Borromini; architectural motif from the Basilica of St. John Lateran | Raising of the lantern and the spire of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza; floor plan of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane; dove and olive branch | |
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500 francs | 181 × 82 mm | Brown | Albrecht von Haller; hexagonal structure of the cell; cell tissue | 18th century anatomy plate; x-ray of the human thorax; mountains, referring to his poem "The Alps" | |
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1000 francs | 192 × 86 mm | Purple | Louis Agassiz; structure of the surface of a shellfish | Head, skeleton and fossil of a perch; structure of the scales of a perch; ammonite | |
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Eighth series
The eighth series of Swiss franc banknotes, designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer, entered circulation in 1995. They were withdrawn in 2021.
8th series of Swiss banknotes[19] | ||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Obverse | Reverse | Date of | ||
Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | |||||
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10 francs | 74 × 126 mm | Yellow | Le Corbusier | Ground plan, government district of Indian city of Chandigarh | 8 April 1995 | 30 April 2021 |
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20 francs | 74 × 137 mm | Red | Arthur Honegger | Mouvement symphonique Pacific 231 | 1 October 1994 | |
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50 francs | 74 × 148 mm | Green | Sophie Taeuber-Arp | Tête Dada, 1919 | 3 October 1995 | |
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100 francs | 74 × 159 mm | Blue | Alberto Giacometti | L'Homme qui marche I | 1 October 1998 | |
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200 francs | 74 × 170 mm | Brown | Charles Ferdinand Ramuz | Lac de Derborence (Les Diablerets), Lavaux | 1 October 1997 | |
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1000 francs | 74 × 181 mm | Purple | Jacob Burckhardt | Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze | 1 April 1998 | |
For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Ninth series
In 2005, the Swiss National Bank held a competition to determine the design of the next series of banknotes. The competition was won by Manuel Krebs, but his designs, which include depictions of blood cells and embryos, were met with sufficient opposition from the general public as to discourage the bank from going forward with them.[20] As a result, the ninth series of Swiss franc banknotes was based on designs by second place finalist Manuela Pfrunder.[21] The series was scheduled to be issued around 2010 but was delayed to 2015 due to technical problems in the production.[22][23] The new 50-franc banknote was issued on 12 April 2016, followed by the 20-franc banknote on 17 May 2017, the 10-franc banknote on 18 October 2017, the 200-franc banknote on 22 August 2018, the 1,000-franc banknote on 13 March 2019 and the 100-franc banknote on 12 September 2019.
9th (current) series of Swiss banknotes[24] | |||||||||
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Image | Value | Dimensions | Main colour | Theme (a typically Swiss characteristic) |
Obverse (an action) |
Reverse (a Swiss location and an object) |
Date of issue | ||
Obverse | Reverse | ||||||||
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10 francs | 70 × 123 mm | Yellow | Switzerland's organisational talent Key motif: Time |
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18 October 2017 | |
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20 francs | 70 × 130 mm | Red | Switzerland's creativity Key motif: Light |
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17 May 2017 | |
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50 francs | 70 × 137 mm | Green | Wealth of experiences Switzerland offers Key motif: Wind |
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12 April 2016 | |
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100 francs | 70 × 144 mm | Blue | Switzerland's humanitarian tradition Key motif: Water |
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12 September 2019[25] | ||
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200 francs | 70 × 151 mm | Brown | Switzerland's scientific expertise Key motif: Matter |
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22 August 2018[25] | |
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1000 francs | 70 × 158 mm | Purple | Switzerland's communicative flair Key motif: Language |
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13 March 2019[25] | |
For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Security and counterfeiting
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/CHF_Banknotes.jpg/220px-CHF_Banknotes.jpg)
According to the 2008 edition of Guinness World Records, the eighth series of Swiss franc notes is the most secure in the world with up to 18 security features including a tilting digit, which can only be seen from an unusual angle, a UV digit that can only be seen under ultraviolet light and micro text.[27] According to their respective central banks, the rate of counterfeited banknotes as of 2011 was about 1 in 100,000 for the Swiss franc, 1 in 20,000 for the euro, 1 in 10,000 for the United States dollar and 1 in 3,333 for the pound sterling.[28]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ Billets de banque in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.; A. Meier: Monnaies....
- ^ a b Blackstone, Brian (20 October 2017). "Switzerland's Old-Money Problem: One Billion in Expiring Francs". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Questions and answers on banknotes – What does 'the SNB is recalling banknotes from circulation' actually mean?". Swiss National Bank. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Ständerat hat eingelenkt – Alte Banknoten werden künftig nicht mehr verfallen". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 5 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "CC 941.10 Federal Act of 22 December 1999 on Currency and Payment Instruments (CPIA)". www.admin.ch. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ a b Reuters Staff (28 April 2021). "Swiss National Bank recalls old series of banknotes". Reuters. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
{{cite news}}
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has generic name (help) - ^ All banknote series of the SNB, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ "Swiss National Bank (SNB) – Sixth banknote series (1976)". www.snb.ch. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Swiss National Bank (SNB) - Banknotes and coins".
- ^ First banknote series 1907, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ Second banknote series 1911, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ Third banknote series 1918, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ Fourth banknote series 1938, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ Fifth banknote series 1957, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 30 September 2007.
- ^ a b Sixth banknote series 1976, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ "Swiss National Bank (SNB) - All SNB banknote series".
- ^ Seventh banknote series, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 30 September 2007.
- ^ Jean-Marc Côté, "Habiller l'argent : Roger Pfund Archived 7 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine", Bulletin de l'Association des Numismates Francophones du Canada. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ "Eighth banknote series, 1995". Zurich, Switzerland: Swiss National Bank SNB. May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "7 Interesting Facts about the New Swiss Banknotes". Newly Swissed. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ New banknotes project Archived 19 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ^ Curtis, Malcolm (27 March 2013). "Swiss money really is dirty: UK scientists". The Local (Switzerland edition). Retrieved 3 July 2013.
The Swiss National Bank, responsible for producing Switzerland's money, is planning to introduce new banknotes in 2015 after several delays due to technical problems with paper.
- ^ Press release of 13 december 2012: Issue of new banknote series delayed. Archived 25 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Last accessed 5 September 2012
- ^ "New banknotes for Switzerland". Zurich, Switzerland: Swiss National Bank SNB. May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Banknotes and coins: The transition to a new banknote series". Zurich, Switzerland: Swiss National Bank (SNB). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ An overview of the security features Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Swiss National Bank (page visited on 11 October 2013).
- ^ Guinness World Records (2008 ed.). Hit Entertainment. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-904994-18-3.
- ^ (in French) Michel Beuret, "Les mystères de la fausse monnaie", Allez savoir !, number 50, June 2011.
Bibliography
- Michel de Rivaz, The Swiss banknote: 1907–1997, Genoud, 1997 (ISBN 2-88100-080-0).
- Albert Meier, Monnaies – Billets de Banque. Suisse – Liechtenstein 1798–1995, Hünibach, 1996.
External links
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