SWITZERLAND. Graubünden. Kanton. 16 Franken = Duplone 1813 (Gold, 23 mm, 7.53 g, 6 h). CANTON - GRAU= - BÜNDEN Three shields linked by wreaths. Rev. 16. / SCHWEIZER / FRANKEN / 1813. in four lines within oak wreath. Divo/Tobler 177. Friedberg 265. HMZ 2-602a. Trachsel 1121. Extremely rare. Mintage of only 100 pieces. Slightly cleaned and with a plugged hole, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.
As early as Celtic and Roman times, small deposits of gold were discovered in what is now the municipality of Felsberg, at the foot of the Taminser Calanda in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Traces of ancient mining tunnels still bear witness to these early finds. After the site had long since faded into obscurity, chunks of rock containing native gold were uncovered by chance during quarry work in 1803. This rediscovery led to the formation of the mining company “Zur Goldenen Sonne” (‘To the Golden Sun’ in German) and the start of professional gold extraction in 1809. However, operations ceased again by 1822. Later attempts to revive mining at Calanda saw brief moments of promise but ultimately failed. Nonetheless, significant gold finds from the region are documented as late as the 1960s. In 1813, the canton of Graubünden minted one hundred 16 Franken pieces from this local gold. Today, these coins rank among the rare and coveted relics of the region’s short lived but legendary gold mining history.