Swiss 20 Francs Vreneli

The Swiss 20 francs Vreneli, formally known as the Helvetia Head, is a gold coin issued by Switzerland. Struck at the Swiss Mint in Bern with die engraving executed at the Paris mint, the 20 francs piece belongs to a series that also included 10 and 100 franc denominations. Produced to the standards of the Latin Monetary Union, regular issues circulated between 1897 and 1936, when legal tender status ceased.

The coin arose from an 1895 competition initiated by the Federal Council to replace an earlier gold design minted from 1883 to 1896. Authorised by law in January 1896, the first Vreneli pieces were released in 1897. After regular production stopped in 1936, substantial numbers of bullion restrikes were produced between 1945 and 1947 bearing the date "L1935B", where the letter "L" signified lingot and the "B" denoted the Bern mint. Further contemporaneous strikes dated 1947 and 1949 were also manufactured.

Modelled by Neuchâtel medallist Fritz Ulysse Landry, the obverse features a profile portrait of a female personification of Helvetia with braided hair and an edelweiss garland, set against an alpine mountain panorama. The reverse displays the Swiss shield bearing the Swiss Cross, surrounded by an oak wreath, the denomination, date, and the unpunctuated "B" mint mark. Struck in 900 millesimal fineness gold, the coin measures 21 millimetres in diameter and 1.3 millimetres in thickness, with a gross weight of 6.45 grams containing 5.805 grams of fine gold.