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- Editorial
Small change
19.12.2025 – Marc Lettau, Editor-in-Chief
The next time you are in Switzerland and you want to travel by tram, try using a ticket machine that still accepts cash – if only to see the dispenser spit out some change. Any 10- or 20-cent coins? Look at them closely. Some may date back 20, 30, 50 or even 80 years. My personal record: a 20-cent coin minted in 1921.
Your analogue ticket purchase will be a little nod to the durability of the Swiss franc. For one thing, the design of the coins has remained unchanged since 1881. The only variable is the year of issue. If we move from cents to francs, small change takes on a whole new meaning. Imagine you have a suitcase containing one million francs in cash – 1,000 Swiss francs would be the ideal denomination of banknote. A million would only weigh a touch more than a kilo, and you could still fit the notes in your suitcase. If you carried one million francs in gold, the weight would increase tenfold.
Of course, this is hypothetical. Gold normally stays in a safe, as do 1,000-franc notes. And fewer of us in Switzerland pay by cash anyway. Nevertheless, the Swiss franc is strong at the moment. Our currency is a source of national symbolism and immense pride – even among people who switched to contactless a good while ago. This is a contradiction: coins and notes have taken a back-seat role in everyday life, yet no cash at all would be unthinkable for most of us – as we explain in our lead article.
Joseph Haas, layout of “Revue” 1/16 February to “Revue” 5/25 December
Talking of everyday life, we have a couple of changes to announce. Our graphic and editorial designer Joseph Haas, who has shaped the identity of “Swiss Review” for a decade, is stepping down. I would like to express my sincere thanks to him for the thoughtful, engaged manner in which he helped to produce content for our magazine.
Secondly, it is goodbye from me. This edition marks the end of my time as editor-in-chief. I feel privileged to have gone on such an enriching and stimulating journey with you, dear readers. My thanks go to everyone who has praised or criticised our work over the years. I always appreciated your feedback, regardless of whether it was positive or negative.
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