Space follows later...  For now, we swim the atmosphere...

The first is a commemorative medal (jeton) in silver of Oskar Bider, a Swiss aviation pioneer.  Internet search for biographies will be successful.  Bascially, he enrolled in Beloit's school, bought a plane and flew the first airmail route in Switzerland.  Later he was the first to cross the Alps by air in both directions, from Berne to Milano and back, cresting the Jungfrau by 100 meters.  Bider was from Basel, and I bought this medal at the 2000 Coin Fair in Basel.  The medal has the Bishop's Crozier which is the symbol of Basel ("basilica").

The second is a tribute to the new Basel Airport, Mulhousen.  Though, when I was there, I flew into Zurich and took the train from the airport.  There, I was introduced to Swiss punctuality.  I approached the ticket counter and asked in German for a ticket to Basel. The clerk was nonchalant.  "Ich habe nur drei Minuten," I said.  He replied, pointing to the train not 30 meters away, "Sie haben noch drei Minuten." 

---

Nice coins. Here's one from my collection. This is 3 Reichsmark from GERMANY commemorating the world flight of the Graf Zeppelin in 1929. An interesting coin portraying the soon to be doomed air-ship line. Minted in Berlin

Details

GERMANY (WEIMAR REPUBLIC)~3 Reichsmark 1930 A

This is a US Mint official restrike in bronze of the gold medal that Congress awarded to Charles Lindbergh.  Laura Gardin Fraser designed both sides.

---