Goldvreneli 10 Franken

The most important facts in brief

The GoldVreneli is a Swiss currency coin, it exists in three denominations 10 francs, 20 francs and 100 francs, the latter of which was minted in very small numbers. While the reverse of all three coins is identical, the 10 franc gold Vreneli resembles the 100 franc gold Vreneli on the obverse.

Today, its gold value exceeds the market value of 10 francs by a factor of more than ten. For this reason, the coin is no longer used in payment transactions, although according to the Swissmint brochure it was never withdrawn from circulation.

Significance of the 10-franc gold Vreneli in payment transactions

When the Federal State of Switzerland minted its first coins in 1850, they were exclusively silver coins. From 1865, Switzerland was a member of the Latin Monetary Union, which fixed the franc at 4.5 grammes of silver or 0.290322 grammes of gold. Although the amount of gold for a 10 and 20 franc gold coin was thus fixed, it was not until 1983 that the 20 franc piece was introduced with the gold coin Helvetia. A 10-franc version did not exist at that time.

In 1895, the Federal Council decided to give the 20-franc piece a new look. After several designs had been revised, the one by Fritz Ulysse Landry was chosen.

The reverse of the 20-franc gold Vreneli was then also used for the 10-franc gold Vreneli, but because the 10-franc gold Vreneli was thinner than the 20-franc gold Vreneli, the value side had to be adapted, as it would otherwise have been too thin in places. The new design of the value side was also created by F. Landry and was also used for the rare 100 franc gold Vreneli.

The 10 Franc GoldVreneli was then minted from 1911 to 1922. The gold Vreneli thus outlasted the Latin Mint Union by a good 12 years, which was dissolved as early as 1910.

This was a consequence of the world economic crisis in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, all the major trading powers devalued their currencies. This meant that in the countries of the Latin Monetary Union, a unit of currency could no longer be exchanged for 0.290322 grammes of gold, as was the case before the devaluation, but that one received less gold for it. The strong franc, which had not been devalued, presented Switzerland with similar challenges as the devaluation of the euro at the beginning of the 21st century. For this reason, Switzerland devalued its currency by 30% directly after France in 1936. Henceforth, one had to pay 14 francs to buy the gold of a 10-franc gold Vreneli. This meant that the 10-franc exchange rate lost its significance and the Vrenelis were now only hoarded and traded at their gold value.

At that time, the gold-silver ratio was 15.5; today it is much higher at around 70.

Significance of the 10-franc gold Vreneli today

The 10-franc Vreneli is still mainly hoarded. While the 1 ounce coins from Austria, the USA and Canada are popular with many gold buyers, the 10 franc Vreneli is nowadays often given as a gift for births, first communions, weddings and various other occasions. Of course, this also has to do with the fact that a gold Vreneli is around ten times lighter and therefore much cheaper than an ounce of gold.

A big problem with the coin is the big difference between buying and selling. If you buy a 10-franc Vreneli today from a dealer or a bank and immediately sell it again, you lose about a third of your money. With a 20 franc Vreneli, it's still a seventh, or about 14 percent. While one can have a certain understanding for such discounts on consumer electronics and cars, this is unacceptable for a product that was partly produced over 100 years ago and hardly loses its value.

Therefore, it is advisable to trade the 10 Franc Vreneli directly with other consumers on premesec.ch.

Buying 10 franc gold Vreneli

As a buyer of gold Vreneli will realise, the price of 10 franc gold Vreneli at banks and dealers is around 40 % to 60 % higher than the precious metal value. It can therefore be worthwhile buying gold Vreneli from private individuals. The price should be somewhat lower than if you buy it from a bank. Gold coins can be bought from other private individuals on PreMeSec.ch, and the various filters on the offers page create transparency in the offers.

Sell 10 franc gold Vreneli

As banks and dealers only pay the metal value for gold Vreneli, selling them to private buyers can be interesting.

The proceeds that can be realised depend on the vintage, state of preservation and market prices. As only 2.65 million 10-franc gold Vrenelis were produced in total and the quantity of gold is smaller than for the 20-franc gold Vreneli, the premium per coin is much higher than for the larger gold Vreneli. Banks sell gold Vrenelis for 140 % to 160 % of the gold price. A 10-franc gold Vreneli that is offered above the gold price but below the banks' price will find a buyer. The 10-franc gold pieces from the 1911 vintage are particularly valuable, as this was the first and, with a circulation of 100,000, is especially rare.