Neutralitã¤tsschutz (A Very Swiss Policy)

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,411
Gwyde Pillar of the Community Belgium 506 Posts	Posted 07/05/2013 08:16 am A policy of neutrality is what kept Switzerland away from the turmoil of the two world wars in the 20th century. A policy which could only be enforced by deterring potential aggressors. I felt quite amused when noticing the concept of this very Swiss policy crystallized in a commemorative coin that came up for sale. (It's a crown size nickel-copper coin: I acquired it for little money.) Having a face value of 5 ecu, it has never been legal tender in Switzerland. You may even call it an official medal. Appealing to fans of vintage planes for sure. The ecu was the precursor of the euro. It was a basket currency mainly used as unit of account for the institutions on the European Union. Switzerland is not an EU member. Report this Post to the Staff

chrisild Pillar of the Community Germany 1238 Posts	Posted 07/05/2013 08:50 am Interesting design, but I would not call that a coin. Lots of "ECU" medals were issued in those years, even by (or rather in the name of) countries that, as you pointed out, had nothing to do with ECU or the EU. Language wise it is an odd mix - on the Vreneli side you have the country name in all four official languages (something that Switzerland does not do on coins) but "NeutralitÃ¤tsschutz" on the other side is in German only. Here are some more "Swiss ECU" pieces: http://www.simone-erni.ch/html/meda...-munzen.html Well, as far as I know, the Belgian ECU pieces were the only ones (if we leave dual denomination issues aside) that were actually legal tender. Christian Edited by chrisild 07/05/2013 08:51 am Report this Post to the Staff
SeriousCERES Valued Member United States 365 Posts	Posted 07/05/2013 4:09 pm The Boeing B17 is pretty well recognizable as such (especially if you have been to as many aviation museums as I have!), but I'm guessing that the second plane is supposed to be a Messerschmidt ME 109, the basic German fighter of WWII; in which case, this would actually be a 'dogfight scene'! I don't think I've ever seen a medal depicting air battle before. It's certainly an interesting, unusual piece, too bad the details are a bit warpy (as are the details in the Vreneli bust, which is so beautiful in the original design). As you say, Gwyde, it just seems a bit strange to commemorate Swiss neutrality with what is supposed to be an immersive 'put the viewer there' battle action scene! Report this Post to the Staff
Gwyde Pillar of the Community Belgium 506 Posts	Posted 07/24/2013 02:31 am The Messerschmidt ME 109 B in detail: The picture reveals more detail than what can be seen with the naked eye. Report this Post to the Staff
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