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Swiss Fasnacht Pins (Swiss German : Blaggedde) (German : Plaketten)

Swiss Fasnacht Pins - General Description

Swiss Fasnacht pins are small lapel pins produced as accessories for participants of the pre-Lental festival of Fasnacht held each year in Switzerland. Although Fasnacht is celebrated throughout the German speaking part of Switzerland, pins produced for the Fasnacht celebration in Basel are most widely known. They are produced in a copper, silver, gold and exclusive Bijou versions. Similar Fasnacht pins are produced for the cities of Luzern, Bern and smaller municipalities such as Liestal, Pratteln, Allschwil and Frenkendorf, in neighbouring Baselland, among others. Whilst these rival Basel Fasnacht pins in their quality, imagery and tradition, their interest is generally confined to local collectors in contrast to Basel Fasnacht pins, which are collected in both Basel city and world-wide.

The origin of Basel Fasnacht Pins

Though the festival of Fasnacht in Basel is considerably older, copper versions of Basel Fasnacht Pins were first produced in 1911 as a means of funding the non-profit organization which regulates Fasnacht activities, known as the Fasnachts-Comités or Comité. The Fasnachts-Comités, with it’s head office in Basel, is still in existence today and comprises mostly volunteers who work year round to organize the three day Fasnacht event each year in Basel. The wearing of the pins by revelers during Fasnacht is a sign of support for the Fasnachts-Comités and whilst not mandatory, is expected, especially of those who attend the activities, such as the morning procession through Basel (Swiss German : Morgenstraich). Traditionally, many of the small groups (French : Cliquen) who themselves form the piccolo and drum bands of the Fasnacht processions sell badges on behalf of the Fasnachts-Comités, though today these are sold chiefly through official Fasnachts-Comités stalls and in selected kiosks throughout Basel. Fasnacht pins have come to serve as an integral source of funding for the Fasnachts-Comités. Traditionally, the purchaser also received a plate of `flour soup` (German : Mehlsuppe) in return for the purchase of a Fasnacht pin. This was thought to provide adequate sustenance for the coming festivities and is reflected in the imagery of some of the pins, such as that issued in 1957, the same year in which Basel also celebrated the 2000th anniversary of its official founding by Roman forces. Many revelers continue to wear their Fasnacht pins for several weeks following Fasnacht, though this has arguably more to do with nurturing the memory of a Fasnacht come and gone than for an ulterior reason. Anniversary years of the Fasnachts-Comités are generally reflected on Basel Fasnacht pins. Examples of this are found on pins issued for the years 1960, 1985 and 2010 when the Fasnachts-Comités celebrated respectively its 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary.

Design

The imagery and design of each Fasnacht pin is in all details deliberate, carefully devised by each artist and often reflective of local issues or current events worldwide. No design has been repeated in a subsequent year and in this fashion, Basel Fasnacht pins provide an interesting chronology of events of the city as well as serving as a reflection of the artist themselves. They also reflect the artistic trends of the day, in much the same way as stamps or coins. Invariably, each pin features the year and whilst there are no exceptions to this, some dates are more easily discernable than others, owing predominantly to the nature of the design and manufacture. Pins produced for the years 1947, 1999 and 2010 are good examples of this. The design of the Fasnacht Pin is generally chosen as a result of a competition among graphic artists by the Fasnachts-Comités, each one providing their own rendition of a general theme (French : sujet) for the given year. Some designers such as Fritz Grogg have been responsible for several Basel Fasnacht pin designs.

Imagery

Swiss Fasnacht pins display recurring themes or images, each with their own significance, history and reflection on the culture of the city or town. A few recurring images shown on Basel Fasnacht pins are outlined below:

Basel City / Kantonal Coat of Arms (Baselstab)

On nearly all Basel Fasnacht pins appears the coat of arms of the city and canton, the so named Baselstab. The symbol represents a bishop’s mitre with a crooked peak, mimicking the head of a Bishops’ crook. Unlike other heraldic forms of the mitre, the Baselstab faces left and is bisected by three horizontal bars. Traditionally, the Basel coat of arms is supported either by lions, wild men or the Basilisken, a legendary dragon figure bearing the head of a hen, a snake’s tail and other features of a dragon. Examples of the latter can be seen on the Fasnacht pin from the years 1984 and on the 1989 gold pin. The Baselstab sometimes also appears on its side or is inverted, as can be observed on numerous pins, good examples being those issued in the years 1968 and 1994 respectively. This displacement of the Baselstab has no significance other than the designer’s artistic license.

Parody of the Alsatian Day Labourer (Waggis)

Similarly, nearly all Basel Fasnacht pins depict the Waggis, the clown like caricature of a traditional Alsatian vegetable grower and day laborer. The parody of the Alsatian day laborer on Basel Fasnacht pins is unmistakable, with his spiked hair, his jelly bag hat, his often enormous teeth and wearing his traditional wooden shoes, similar in appearance to the type of traditional wooden shoes worn in Holland. Earlier depictions of the Waggis show him carrying a vegetable bag and umbrella, such as the pin issued in 1929, depicting the Waggis in full stride. Later depictions of the Waggis are increasingly less complimentary, showing the same figure with an impossibly enormous nose. An fine example of this is the pin issued for the year 1956, showing the Waggis supporting six members of the piccolo and drum band on an enormous proboscis. Other excellent examples of the Waggis can be seen on pins issued for the years 1958 and 1959.

Alarm Clock (German : Wecker)

Examples of the imagery of the alarm clock can be seen on pins issued in 1928 and 1959. On these pins, the excitement of the early morning parade (Swiss german : Morgenstraich) is highlighted with the principal figure viewing his alarm clock in anticipation and excitement. The figure on the Basel Fasnacht pin from the year 1959 features a fully dressed Waggis lying on his bed, watching the his alarm clock at 1 am, waiting with unbridled excitement for the parade to begin at 4 am. The gold pin from the same year has the alarm clock set at 2.30am, reflecting the notion that purchasers of gold pins could afford to get a taxi into the morning procession, and therefore enjoy the benefit of an additional sleep. The exact date on which Fasnacht falls has also been a feature of several Basel Fasnacht pins over the past century. Several pins, including the very first Basel Fasnacht pin from 1911, show the exact dates and sometimes also the starting time of the morning procession, namely at 4 am.

Confetti (Swiss German : Räppli)

The throwing of confetti is thought to be a Basel tradition and that it generally regarded as having spread from is origin in Basel. During the parade the streets of Basel are strewn with confetti, sometimes several inches high. Favorite targets of confetti throwers are spectators who have not purchased a Fasnachts Pin (Swiss German : Blaggedde). It is therefore natural to assume that images of confetti (Swiss German : Räppli) appear on Basel Fasnacht pins, good examples of which may be seen on the 1986 and the 1991 gold pins.

The Fool (Narr)

The Fool is a figure associated with entertainment and merry-making, but traditionally the Fool also enjoys freedom from censure. The Fool is an integral part of Fasnacht therefore in his freedom to create parody with impunity. His image appears on the very first Fasnacht Pin in 1911, which was produced very quickly for the Fasnachts-Comités in both medallion a stick-pin form. Both versions were originally sold by members of the Basel dramatic society. The Fool appears again in 1913 and in 1914, riding the coat of arms (Baselstab) like a horse. After 1920, the Fool is substituted with the Waggis and or caricatures of the piccolo and drum musicians. The Fool does not appear again on the Basel Fasnacht pin until 1960 with `Der Ueli` , a Fool to whom was ascribed a name, and again in 1985, coinciding with the year in which the Fasnachts-Comités celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Drummer (Tambouren) and Piccolo (Pfeifer) Bands (Cliquen)

Caricatures of the piccolo and drum musicians are featured on innumerous Basel Fasnacht pin designs and underlie the importance of the role which the bands play in the three day event. Sometimes however, drummers are depicted in the absence of pipers and vice versa. This is illustrated well in a comparison of the pins issued in 1939 and 1954. The first image of a drummer appears in 1921 and continues through to modern times. Band leaders (Swiss German : Tambourmajor) are featured on numerous pins, fine examples of which are found as early as on the 1922 and 1930 pins designs.

Flour Soup (Mehlsuppe)

Pins were traditionally sold in exchange not only for the pins itself, but for a plate of simple, wholesome `Flour Soup`. This rustic meal was thought to provide sustenance for the coming activities, most of which take place in the small hours of the morning. The only example of this is currently the Fasnacht pin produced in 1957 which depicts a Waggis dressed in Roman military dress, seated at the table eating his flour soup.

Basel Architecture

Numerous pins designs display examples of famous Basel city architecture, not least the most famous of all Basel landmarks, the Basel Cathedral (German : Münster). Good examples of the distinctive dual spires of the 11th century Cathedral can be seen on pin designs issued for years 1963, 1989, 1995 and 2003. Further examples of Basel architecture featured on Fasnacht pins include renditions of the middle bridge (German : mittlere Brücke), linking the two sides of Basel across the river Rhine and of the a small chapel (Swiss German : Käppelijoch) located midway across the Middle Bridge. Good examples of the latter easily recognizable Basel structures may be seen on the 1943 and 1946 pins.

Composition

Original Basel Fasnacht pins from 1911 were produced from copper and a small number of those from brass. This continued until 1920, apart from the period 1915-1919 where, due to the First World War, no official Fasnacht took place. For the first time in 1921, silver and gold Fasnacht pins were produced and sold. Only 20 gold pins were produced in 1921 due to the worldwide economic crisis, however later years saw increased numbers of gold and silver pins produced. The Fasnachts-Comités however has never revealed how many pins are made for any given year. There are some variations in the composition of Basel Fasnacht pins, such as the pins produced by a company from Neuchâtel in 1932 (during another world economic crisis) which were made from bronze. The poor quality of the alloy caused them to oxidize unevenly and led the Fasnachts-Comités to chose another producer the following year. No real gold was used in the production of Basel Fasnacht pins until the advent of the Bijou pin which was produced for the first time in 2004. This is a higher quality pin comprised of silver and gold plated silver and was produced in response to the repeated call for a pin to serve more as jewellery and as such, be made from precious metal. These have been produced each year since 2004. Oversized Basel Fasnacht Pins called Parade Pins (Swiss German : Zugsplakette) are also produced in copper and silver. These are special pins which are worn by revelers participating in any of the parades and are set in black and white ribbons.

Rare and Valuable Pins

As in similar fields, rarity is determined by the relationship between supply and demand and the relative quality of the item in question. Basel Fasnacht pins also follow this collectors’ principle, with older pins, particularly silver and gold pins being relatively rare and therefore valuable. Pins issued during years of economic crises or war are also valuable because of the limited nature of their production and reduced demand for them at the time of manufacture. Good examples of this are the 1920 and the 1941/42 pin (the latter is the only Basel Fasnacht pin in history which served for two consecutive Fasnacht years). The latter continues to remains valuable despite the fact that it was made from zinc due to the conservation of copper at the time in favor of the production of munitions. Gold pins from 1921 to 1950 remain comparatively rare and therefore valuable to collectors. A gold pin from 1946 was recently auctioned in Switzerland for CHF 2200.00 for example. It was however in remarkably good condition. Copper and Silver pins are most widely collected. There is a great variation in the quality of the pins and discerning collectors often seek out good quality pins in original condition and organise them into sets of any given decade (e.g. 1950-1959, 1960-1969). Many are displayed on specially made frames which have the appearance of the top of a tin drum or alternately hung on display on the wall using a specially designed strip of durable felt. Specially designed wall frames with a more professional appearance however are produced specifically for Basel Fasnacht pins and are of increasing popularity.

Condition and Presentation Ribbons

Traditionally, Fasnacht Pins were issued with a small piece of ribbon, or as in the case of the copper pin issued in 1912, a small piece of string. Many of these have since perished, though on some pins, these have been retained and are in good condition. Older pins are more valuable with their original ribbon, so long as the rest of the pin is also in good condition. Also, pins where the original needle has been preserved retain their value far better than pins where the original needle has been broken and subsequently replaced. The value of modern pins is also largely determined by the general condition of their surface, a pin with a heavily scratched surface being less collectable than one where the surface has fewer or no abrasions. In this sense, uncirculated pins which have been retained in their packets are of most interest and consequently value, to serious collectors. To date, only a handful of collectors have all the Basel Fasnacht Pins ever produced. Such a collection may be worth in the vicinity of several tens of thousands of Swiss francs.

Summary

Basel Fasnacht Pins are collected both throughout Switzerland and internationally. This is a growing trend as is the higher price demanded for older Swiss Fasnacht pins, which are often held in family collections for years and appear only infrequently. The wealth of industry in Basel which attracts foreign professionals from around the world, particularly in the Pharmaceutical as well as Banking and Insurance Industries, has contributed to the international spread in popularity of the Swiss Fasnacht tradition and in particular in Swiss Fasnacht pins.

References

"Lifting the Mask - Your guide to Basel Fasnacht" by Habicht P ISBN 978-3-905252-04-0

"Basler Fasnachtsplaketten" by Corina Christen (2006) ISBN 978-3-7245-1418-3