The portrait in left profile of Helvetia, surrounded by the inscription in Latin (Swiss Confederation) and date.

Helvetia is the pictorial allegory of Switzerland. She is a mythical figure who never actually existed. Allegorical depictions were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even though Helvetia was depicted seated on the first franc coins, she has been obliged to remain standing since 1874.

The name Helvetica is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau prior to the Roman conquest.

Engraver: Karl Schwenzer

The Swiss escutcheon divides value within wreath, star above. Mintmark below the wreath.

The mintmark "B" stands for Bern Mint (Swissmint), "A" for Paris Mint.

The white cross has been used as the field sign (attached to the clothing of combattants and to the cantonal war flags in the form of strips of linen) of the Old Swiss Confederacy since its formation in the late 13th or early 14th century. Its symbolism was described by the Swiss Federal Council in 1889 as representing "at the same the Christian cross symbol and the field sign of the Old Confederacy". The federal coat of arms was defined in 1815 for the Restored Confederacy as the white-on-red Swiss cross in a heraldic shield. The white cross is known as the Swiss cross. Its arms are equilateral, and their ratio of length to width is 7:6.

Engraver: Christian Bühler

DOMINUS PROVIDEBIT (The Lord will provide, Genesis 22, 8) is religious expressions (mottos) were very popular from the Middle Ages and are still found on many coins, usually as a circumscription.

In the case of the raised edge inscription (lettering and stars in relief), the position is always the same, i.e. seen from the image side, it commences at the opening in the herdsman's shirt, runs clockwise and is divided into three segments. In the case of the 5-franc coin with the incuse (recessed) edge inscription (years 1985 to 1993), the position is arbitrary, as it was applied in a separate procedure before the coins were struck.