In Stock and Available for Immediate Shipment!
Long SOLD OUT at the Mint!
This truly
rare (mintage only
180!) and truly beautiful gold proof from Switzerland (part of the long
running and traditional series of Swiss Shooting Thalers) offers an
historical design depicting a marksman and European Rhine Valley
castle! Graded
a nearly perfect Proof 69 Ultra Cameo PF69 UC by NGC!
This listing is for
the 2014 Gold
Shooting Taler Proof slabbed and graded PF69 UC by the Numismatic
Guaranty Corporation!
Talisman
Coins is absolutely thrilled to be able to bring you this beautiful,
proof
finish Shooting Thaler. This year's Shooting Festival is held
in the Swiss
City of Schaffhausen, in the Canton of Schaffhausen
(for which Schaffhausen is
the
cantonal capital). We've managed to secure a few of these 500 Francs,
pure
gold rarities from
a
total mintage of only 180! (Yes, you read that right -
only one hundred
eighty!) These hard to find Shooting
Thalers (or
Talers; so-called from the days when that was their face value) have
been issued since the mid-1800s in tiny numbers, and are very
collectible, to say nothing of extremely attractive!
Investment
Note
- The
mintage limit for
2014 is only
180 gold shooting talers—tiny by any standard, making
this beauty
truly rare!
These sold out
at the Mint on pre-release, and so are certain to be sought after for
years to come as a key to
the
entire Shooting Thaler series! Don't miss out, get yours now!
Shooting Festivals
Swiss marksmanship is legendary, dating to the hero William
Tell
(who shot an apple off his son's head). This tradition of superior
marksmanship was established during the Old Swiss Confederacy, in the
15th century, when Shooting Festival participants showed off their aim
using the crossbow. Of course, Shooting Festivals
are meant to be fun, but they have a practical side, too - they keep
the citizen soldiery drilled and sharp! This has always been of
particular importance in a country like Switzerland, with a relatively
small population and surrounded on all sides by potential enemies.
Calling shooting is the national sport of Switzerland
would be an understatement, to say the least! Today, the Swiss Shooting
Association boasts 85,000 active, dues paying members! That amounts to
over 1% of the total population! At a Swiss Federal Shooting Festival
(a major event, held every five years), over 50,000 marksmen will
convene for four weeks to demonstrate their shooting skills.
The Munot Medieval Castle
in Historic Schaffhausen
Munot Castle is a circular fortification in the center of the old town
in the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. The old portion of the city has many
fine Renaissance era buildings
decorated with exterior frescos and sculpture, as well as the
impressive old cantonal fortress, the Munot.
Schaffhausen dates
to the 11th century, if not earlier. It was a city state in the Middle
Ages, documented to have struck its own coins from 1045. As you can see
from the photos, the city sits astride the Rhine River, a major trade
route both then and now. The nearby Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am
Rheinfall are Europe's largest waterfall, and a major obstacle to this
trade, and Schaffhausen represented the point at which boats and barges
disembarked people and goods for portage around these falls. Tolls were
charged, gold and silver changed hands, and the Munot Castle was built
for protection of both the good citizens of the town as well as travels
and merchants.
The current, ring-shaped stronghold sits on the high ground of the city
and dates to the sixteenth century, but the Town Guard is much older.
Protecting the town and trade from the majestic fortress, the Guard has
been ensuring law and order continuously since at least 1377. Little
changed over the years, Schaffhausen is like taking a trip back in
time. If it weren't electric lighting, the narrow streets of
the
Old Town
might convince you that you've been transported back several
centuries. Many of the town houses sport the richly painted facades and
innumerable bay windows that are the hallmark of central European
Renaissance architecture.
Schaffhausen (the city) is also the cantonal capital of Schaffhausen
(the canton, the Swiss political division equivalent to a state).
Schaffhausen was a city-state in the Middle Ages. Today it is the
northernmost canton of Switzerland and the only one lying entirely on
the right bank of the Rhine. It lies west of Lake Constance and
separates the German exclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein from the
rest of Germany. Well-regarded white Riesling grapes are grown and wine
produced (as well as several other varieties). The main industries,
however, are the production metal goods, watches and jewelry - not
surprising, since this is
Switzerland! For those with a thirst to quench, in need of an ale to
quaff, is a brewery in the canton.
A Beautiful, Traditional
European Design
Here's an exquisitely beautiful, classic vignette certain to please
the most traditional and refined tastes in design, engraving and
aesthetics. In a remarkable use of perspective, a Swiss sharpshooter in
the foreground shoulders his beloved rifle and looks into the distance.
The marksman raises his traditional Bavarian Alpine Tracht hat
(complete with feather) in his left hand and signals his compatriot in
the tower of the Munot Castle; clearly, both are members of the
Schaffhausen Town Guard! The powerful citadel stands on strategic high
ground that dominates the Rhine valley in which the city is located.
All is safe and well in the town of Schaffhausen, as it has been for
centuries. The entire scene is executed in a
blast-white, cameo proof finish that represents the culmination of the
minter's art.
On the reverse, the traditional wreath of oak leaves (on the left) and
laurel (on the right) surround the denomination of 50 Francs. Beneath
the wreath, a marksman's powder horn and bandolier hang from a pair of
crossed rifles or muskets. The legend indicates (in both French and
German, two of the four official languages of Switzerland) that the
coin is redeemable during the shooting festival (not that you'd want
to!).
Packaging
The coin is encapsulated inside a Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC)
archival quality plastic holder (or slab) that is individually numbered
with an unique, NGC serial number.
Specifications
Country |
Switzerland |
Year
of Issue |
2014 |
|
|
Face
Value |
500
Francs |
Weight |
15.567
g |
Diameter |
33.00
mm |
Mintage
Limit |
180 |
|
|
Finish |
Proof |
Composition |
.999
Fine (Pure) Gold |
Edge |
Reeded
(milled, serrated) |