Switzerland. 50 Francs 2015. Valais Shooting Festival. Silver proof

Switzerland’s annual shooting taler is now available.

In modern times, a shooting festival is held every year in a different canton. As many as 50,000 marksmen have attended some of them. The 2015 event is being held in the canton of Valais (Wallis in German) in the southwestern part of the country and home of the Matterhorn.

The obverse shows an allegorical figure sitting naked among billowing drapery, offering an oak and laurel wreath with her right hand and holding a sprig of laurel in her left hand. The denomination is indicated on the reverse with a wreath of oak leaves and laurel around it. Below is a powder horn and ammunition belt hanging from a pair of crossed rifles. The legend states in French and German that the taler is redeemable during the shooting festival. The western part of Valais is French-speaking, while the eastern part uses German.

The Swiss tradition of marksmanship was established during the old Swiss Confederacy in the 15th century, when festival participants used crossbows in shooting contests. The legend of William Tell recalls this tradition as well.
The Proof .900 fine silver piece weighs 25 grams, measures 37 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 1,200 pieces.