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Continuing a Centuries-old Tradition
Switzerland 500 Francs 2022. Uri Shooting Taler with famous statue of William Tell
Gold coin mintage just 150 pieces.
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. 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. In 2022 it is a Cantonal Shooting Festival that will be in Uri. Silver and gold versions of the traditional coins used to help mark and promote the event will be available in what has been a tradition since the 19th century. The 2022 issue reached back centuries for its inspiration.
The gold 500 franc has a low mintage of just 150 coins and distribution is being allocated.
It is .999 fine gold and weighs ½ troy ounce. It is 33 millimeters (1.3 inches) in diameter. Subject to availability.
The obverse shows William Tell himself, with crossbow arched over his shoulder. It is based on a famous 1895 statue in Uri’s capital city of Altdorf, and has also been featured on other Swiss coins and medals, including the 1986 Shooting Taler. The reverse is unusual in that the text is mostly in Russian. It reads Generalissimo Alexander V. Suvarov. Suvarov is considered a folk hero in Switzerland. In 1799, Russian forces fought with the Swiss against Napoleon’s French army in Uri. When the Russians were defeated at the Second Battle of Zurich, the army, under Suvorov, was forced to retreat out of Switzerland though the Alps in winter — the first time this was done since Hannibal and his Carthaginian army did it during the Second Punic War in 218 BC. Coins should be ready approximately the first week of February.
Your order will be charged when shipped. Please order before it is too late.
Background:
From June until the end of September 1799, troops of the Second Coalition fought the French in Uri. In connection with the uprising, Austrian troops invaded the Urseren and Reuss Valleys in late May and early June. The Austrians, together with a Capuchin friar named Paul Styger, attempted to restore the old cantonal government. However, in August the French position in the war began to improve. With the defeat of the Russian general Alexander Korsakov at the Second Battle of Zurich, the only other Coalition army, under Alexander Suvorov, was forced to retreat out of Switzerland though the alps in winter, a feat unheard of since the time of Hannibal.While he is considered a folk hero in Switzerland, his army stripped the villages of Uri bare of food and cattle. The damage from fighting, Suvorov's retreat and other disasters (including a fire that destroyed much of Altdorf in 1799) caused a famine in Uri. Although the government commissioner, Heinrich Zschokke, organized a relief effort to prevent starvation, it took years for Uri to repair the damage to the villages and towns.
Altdorf is a historic town and municipality in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri.
Painting is “Suvorov Crossing the St, Gotthard Pass” by Alexander Kotzebue.
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