The Jungfrau, the «Maiden» of the Bernese Oberland, is the subject of the second coin in the «Swiss Mountains» series, issued on 11 February 2005. Stephan Bundi rendered the peak as a patchwork: smooth snowfields are broken up by finely engraved sections of rock, and this play of plain and textured surfaces makes the design instantly recognisable.

At 4,158 metres the Jungfrau is the third-highest summit of the Bernese Oberland. It was first climbed in 1811 by the brothers Johann Rudolf and Hieronymus Meyer. On the neighbouring saddle, at 3,454 metres, lies the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station, and in December 2001 the Jungfrau-Aletsch region was inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The mountain’s name, «JUNGFRAU», is struck above its outline, with the signature «BUNDI» near the rim of the reverse. The obverse shows the Swiss cross, the legend «CONFOEDERATIO HELVETICA», the value «10 FR», the date and the Bern mint mark B.

Within the mountain trio of 2004–2006 the Jungfrau sits in the middle: the Matterhorn opened the series and Piz Bernina closed it. 79,000 standard-quality pieces were struck, nineteen thousand fewer than for the Matterhorn.

UNC means the coin has never circulated: there is no wear and the mint lustre is intact. For a set of Swiss mountains, or a selection of coins featuring UNESCO sites, it is a precise piece that carries the story of a first ascent two centuries ago.

At VPcoins we select coins for collectors of every level, from first steps in numismatics to filling the hardest gaps.