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Rod Moore Schutzenfest has information and pictures of shooting medals, cups, and memorabilia that may interest you. This is where you can come, ask questions, and leave comments about schützenfest related items. We primarily concentrate on shooting medals (schützenfest medals) from Switzerland.  We also have knowledge and feedback about shooting medals from Germany, France, Austria, Argentina, etc. We also can answer questions about: shooting cups (pokal and bechers), posters, decorations (abzeichen), wappensheibe (stained glass), jetons, scorecards, postcards, Swiss coins, Swiss francs, shooting talers, münzen, and other types of schützenfest memorabilia.

Please use our blog page to discuss all things schützenfest. Our goal is to strengthen this fine hobby by education and research. Discussion participation will increase understanding and overall awareness. We will make every attempt to answer all questions and welcome the comments of our visitors! Please visit often for updates and new posts and comments when available. It is our goal to add information gained from over 50 years of collecting. We will be adding such information to this website as time allows.

Shooting competitions are a way of life in the Germanic regions of Europe, especially Switzerland. The first shooting festival (Eidgenössisches Schützenfest) was held in Aarau in 1824. Federal contests including canton, city, and club competitions have continued through the present day. Competitors won various forms of awards. Shooting medals (schützenmedallie) and shooting cups are the most common forms of award. Published in Switzerland, there are books that list and illustrate these awards.

Swiss shooting medals were struck in a variety of metals including gold, silver, bronze, copper, white metal, and aluminum with silver being the most common. Mintages are very low with the average mintage of the 45mm medals being 700-800 pieces.  Medals have become rarer over the years due to the awards being melted for bullion, being lost, and general attrition. The size of most medals range from 23mm to 62mm with 45mm being the most prevalent.

Shooting festivals have a long history in Switzerland. From their origins in the late Middle Ages to the modern competitions of today, they have been marked by a unique and beautiful series of medals and commemorative coins. Since the early 19th century, annual competitions have been held at the local, cantonal, regional, and federal levels. Most of the medals and coins which comprise this series were intended to be awarded as prizes, others were sold to the public to raise funds or just given away to commemorate the event. Many of the early medals are hand engraved and thus, unique. Most were machine produced, but on a very limited scale, very often only a few hundred examples each. Silver and bronze/copper are the most common metals used to strike these medals, although many were also struck in gold and white metal as well. While they are one of the more popular and collectible series of world medals, some are surprisingly affordable when compared to other comparable series medals. Superbly beautiful and intricate designs, often in very high relief, and having very small mintages, many are available for only a few hundred dollars each or less. Because of their numerous designs and general scarcity, collecting Swiss Shooting Medals is both richly rewarding and supremely challenging.

Jetons were also an integral part of the schützenfest. A prospective entrant would purchase jetons in order to be able to purchase ammunition for each shoot. Jetons are, along with schützenfest medals, quite rare and collectible. They were minted in a variety of metals – silver, bronze, brass, copper, tin, pewter, and the very rare paper jeton.
The participants of a shooting festival could not buy the ammunition directly at the Munitionsswart. They had to buy the exact number of shots at the responsible cashier of each shooter festival. As proof of the payment, they were given a jeton, against which the shooter was then handed the ammunition for the specific shoot.
While many jetons are dated many are not. This allowed the respective shooting club to reuse the jetons at several different festivals without having to make new ones each time. It is also possible that the jetons fulfilled payment for targets and other entry fees of the schützenfest.

Thank you for visiting!

Email: rodmoore@shootingmedals.com

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