What is on the money in Switzerland?

The ninth series, issued from 2016, is printed vertically rather than horizontally, which almost no other currency does. It also abandoned portraits entirely: each note takes an abstract theme — time, light, wind, water, matter, language — rather than a person, on the reasoning that a national figure inevitably belongs to one linguistic community rather than all four. The substrate is a triple-layer composite of two paper layers around a polymer core.

Who and what is on each note

The unusual part

The 1,000-franc note is one of the highest-value notes still issued anywhere and is worth over a thousand US dollars. Switzerland has declined to withdraw it, arguing that cash use is a civil liberty.

The practical facts

Currency

Swiss franc — ISO code CHF

Printed on

Some polymer, some paper

Survives a wash?

Not reliably. Paper notes disintegrate when soaked.

Can a blind person tell them apart?

Yes — the denominations differ in size, which is the simplest and most reliable tactile cue there is.

Highest note in issue

1,000 Fr — Language

This page describes the notes rather than showing them. Reproducing a banknote image is restricted in most jurisdictions, and the restrictions differ between them.