With the souvenir sheet “100 Years of the Swiss Franc in the Principality of Liechtenstein,” Liechtenstein achieved a notable fourth place in the readers’ poll “Europe’s Most Beautiful Stamp 2024” conducted by the German magazine Deutsche Briefmarken-Revue (which has unfortunately since been discontinued). The issue commemorates an important chapter in Liechtenstein’s economic and monetary history.
After the Principality joined the Swiss customs area through the customs treaty of 1923, the Swiss franc was officially introduced as the legal currency in April 1924. This decision was prompted by the economic difficulties following the First World War and the dramatic devaluation of the Austrian krone currency previously used in Liechtenstein. Even before the official change, the franc had already begun to establish itself in everyday transactions among the population and in commerce.
The 2024 souvenir sheet “Helvetia” with a face value of 3.90 francs artistically reflects this anniversary. Designed by Isabella Hutter, the issue combines a classical depiction of Helvetia with an elegant gold foil embossing highlighting the outline of the Principality. The sheet was printed by Cartor Security Printing using offset lithography, with a total print run of 17,000 copies.
In the European readers’ poll, Liechtenstein’s entry was surpassed only by issues from Germany, the Faroe Islands, and Spain.
Stamp details: 100 Years of the Introduction of the Swiss Franc
- Country: Liechtenstein
- Date of issue: September 2024
- Size: 100 × 80 mm
- Colors: Multicolor
- Designer: Isabella Hutter
- Printer: Cartor Security Printing
- Format: Souvenir sheet
- Perforation: 14 × 13¾
- Printing process: Offset lithography
- Face value: 390 rappen (Swiss centimes)
- Print run: 17,000 copies