The 19th century saw Farinet flood the Valais with counterfeit 20-centime coins, which he manufactured and distributed generously to those who helped him. Considered an outlaw, he met his end in unexplained circumstances in the Salentze gorge in 1880.
A native of the Aosta valley and a tinker by trade, Joseph Samuel Farinet distributed 20-centime coins, which he made with the help of a few accomplices. Over the course of 15 years, he produced just over 40,000 of them, worth 8,000 francs at the time or 120,000 francs today. His modus operandi was quite simple: he placed a heated metal disc (the blank) between the two halves of a mould punched out in negative. Giving the upper half a good blow with a hammer was enough to stamp both sides of the blank with the image of the coin. He later professionalised by using a coining press for a more predictable result.
The demise of “Robin Hood of the Alps”
Despite willing support from the local population, the police finally managed to track Farinet down near Saillon in 1880. The counterfeiter met his end in dubious circumstances. It’s not known whether he was killed by officers of the law or if he fell into the Salentze gorge by accident. These days, he’s thought of as the Robin Hood of the Alps.
Farinet’s legacy
Considered an outlaw by the authorities, Farinet was buried in Saillon, but outside the consecrated ground of the cemetery. Fifty years later, Jean-Louis Barrault, the actor who played Farinet in a film about the counterfeiter, paid for a modest wooden cross and placed it on a fictitious grave in the old cemetery.
The years 2017 to 2019 saw an alternative currency to the franc circulate in the Valais: the “Farinet”. It was accepted as a means of payment in a number of local shops. The stained glass trail, vineyard, museum, Via Farinetta and footbridge keep the memory of this idealised folk figure alive.
To find out more
To find out more about Farinet and his story, plan a guided tour of the Vigne à Farinet or the Musée de la fausse monnaie.