The bimetallic Golden Eagle commemorative coin is now available from the Federal Mint Swissmint. The Golden Eagle coin is the second of four commemoratives released within the 4-year "Swiss National Park" commemorative series.
The design of the new coin portrays an eagle with wings spread, claws extended and body powerfully positioned to land. While the design by scientific illustrator Niklaus Heeb is majestic, the bimetallic composition of the coin is also intriguing.
The outer ring of the coin is made of aluminum-bronze and the inner core from copper-nickel. The eagles wings spreads through both outer ring and inner core, highlighting its landing approach.
The Mints selection of the golden eagle design is aptly understood by reading their description of the bird of prey.
After the bearded vulture, the golden eagle is the largest domestic bird of prey and one of the most powerful predatory birds in the world. Females are always larger than males: the wingspan of the female is around 220 cm, that of the male around 200 cm. Its talons, the size of a man’s hand with rear claws often exceeding 5 cm in length, are an especially impressive feature.
The golden eagle’s majestic shape and its proud and determined look have led to it being adopted as a heraldic animal in many places. With their wide expanses of land in elevated mountain regions, good availability of food and many nesting opportunities, the Alps offer an ideal habitat for the golden eagle. Thanks to these conditions, the king of the skies has succeeded in surviving the former habitat destruction by mankind …
… golden eagles are once again increasingly to be seen in the Alps. The Swiss National Park in the Engadine and in the Münstertal valley is, for example, currently home to six pairs.
The 10 Swiss Golden Eagle coin comes in uncirculated and proof conditions with limited mintages of 95,000 and 12,000 respectively. The new commemorative golden eagle coin also supplements the legal tender Swiss coin sets for 2008.
The "Swiss National Park" commemorative series started in 2007 with the release of the motif of ibex. The red deer commemorative coins is scheduled to release in 2009 followed by the marmot in 2010.
Bimetallic "Golden Eagle" coin specifications, prices and order information
The coin specifications are listed as:
| Date of issue: | 18th January 2008 |
| Design | Niklaus Heeb, Rodersdorf |
| Coin image | Golden Eagle |
| Legal face value | 10 Swiss francs |
| Alloy | Cupronickel and Aluminium Bronze |
| Weight | 15 g |
| Diameter | 33 mm (Core 23 mm/Outer ring 33 mm) |
| Uncirculated | max. 95,000 |
| Proof | max. 12,000 |
The commemorative coins are priced at:
- Bimetal, Uncirculated: CHF 10.00
- Bimetal, Proof: CHF 30.00
The coins may be ordered online through the Federal Mint Swissmint page:
Swiss National Park – Golden eagle 2008
About Federal Mint Swissmint
The Federal Mint is an independent unit of the Federal Finance Administration. Its origins go back to 1848, when with the founding of the federal state, the prerogative of coinage passed from the Cantons to the Confederation.
Swissmint’s most important responsibility is to strike Swiss coins for circulation. For the numismatic market, Swissmint also regularly issues coins of special quality, both for circulation and as special qualities.
