Original 1912 bank boxes from the Swiss Federal Bank. Beautiful with their fully restored numbered brass cover, these are the most beautiful bank boxes anywhere in Switzerland, never offered for sale before. We were able to save a small number when the old Swiss Federal Bank vault was transformed and its content moved to a new facility in 2004. What these boxes contained, nobody can tell today. Each box probably had several clients over the years or were willed across generations and remained in the same family. People from all over the world use these boxes to store some of their most precious possessions. Jewels, works of art, compromising documents, love letters, gold or platinum bars, cash in various currencies and bearer securities.

Size: Boxes are 270x470x85mm with some slight variations. We also have taller boxes and a few very large ones.

Mechanism: The boxes open front and top on hinges. They all have a numbered brass cover you can padlock.

Click to zoom

Restoration: These boxes have served continuously for almost a century and showed serious wear and tear. We have a Swiss artisan take each box apart and repolish the metal to restore the original shine while preserving the ancient look. The boxes are retinned and the brass cover is lacquered to keep its shiny look maintenance-free. We also apply a transparent lacquer on the body of some boxes so you won't need to polish them in the future.

Provenance: These boxes come from the Lausanne branch of the Swiss Federal Bank (Eidgenössiche Bank / Banque Fédérale) and were in use from 1912 until 2004. The bank was acquired by UBS after the war and the Federal Bank vault, built by Fichet, was moved to the UBS regional headquarters across the road. When UBS moved to a larger building across the road in 2004 we were able to secure exclusive rights to this famed vault.

Uses: Our boxes are very popular with Swiss and foreign professionals, lawyers, bankers, tax attorneys, notaries and collectors. They use them as displays in their offices, to store precious or beloved documents, collectors' items or chocolates. We have some lady clients who use them to store scarves and jewels. Most buy them because they have covetted these boxes for decades and just never saw ones so beautiful. Really.

Options: We sell boxes with full lacquer (body and brass) or only brass lacquer. Lacquered body is less shiny but does not need any maintenance whereas the unlacquered body is best polished from time to time. We also offer these boxes filled with excellent gold bar shaped chocolates.

* Sizes can vary slightly
**Prices in Swiss Francs all taxes included. Shipping is extra.