This coin from the Canton of Geneva depicts the Geneva coat of arms on the obverse. The imperial eagle indicates that Geneva once was a Free Imperial City, and as such formally ruled by the emperor only. The key, on the other hand, was the symbol of the bishopric and the church of Geneva. The motto around the coat is POST TENEBRAS LUX – "after darkness, there will be light." The motto originated from the time of reformation; it shows, how the Protestants perceived the renovation of their church. The Geneva 5 francs was struck in 1848. This coin thus was among the very last coins to be minted in Geneva, because in 1848 the right of coinage was transferred from the Swiss cantons to the Federation.