With a deep passion for coins since his childhood, he became a professional numismatist after his Business diploma in Geneva. He has written numerous articles, notably on the coins of Geneva, and was the president of the Société Genevoise de Numismatique (Geneva Numismatic Society) during 15 years.
Life Member of the following associations :
Born in the USA and raised in Geneva, he studied Biochemistry at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) of Geneva. He joined Olivier Chaponnière in 2009 to create Chaponnière & Firmenich SA in 2011. He is specialized in gold bullion investments. Member of the Société Genevoise de Numismatique (SGN).
Sebastien Firmenich (Executive Officer)
Albino Bonadei
As a young amateur of numismatics and history, he did his internship at the Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild, Geneva and obtained his diploma (Certificat fédéral de capacité) in 1982. He worked for more than twenty years in several banks in Genève, mainly in international commerce. Since ten years, he is a collaborator of Olivier Chaponnière, as a general numismatist, and director of the Lausanne office. Member of the Société Genevoise de Numismatique (SGN) since 1992.
Laurent Riccardi
Student of the Université Lyon 2, he followed a general cursus before specializing in research on the History and Archeology of the ancient Orient and the Mediterranean at the Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée. With a Master’s degree in Roman History and specialized in the Roman “High Empire”, Laurent Riccardi has also worked on archeological sites with the Mission Archéologique Française in Lybia on the prestigious Roman site, Leptis Magna between 2007 and 2009. With 10 years of experience as a numismatic expert in a Franco-Swiss auction house, he joined our team in 2020, thus bringing his knowledge of ancient Greco-Roman coins and modern coins, particularly French and Portuguese.
Jan Chiarelli
A specialist in Swiss monetary history, Jan Chiarelli holds a doctorate in history from the University of Lausanne. After seven years of research, he successfully defended a thesis on the long process leading up to the birth of the Swiss franc in 1850. Jan Chiarelli is particularly interested in the economic dimension of the history of the Swiss currency. His approach complements the numismatic approach. A regular collaborator on various projects since 2020, he joined our team at the beginning of 2024 when he joined the Lausanne office.
Our team collaborates regularly with specialists in many domains, in order to offer you the highest level possible in our publications and our auction catalogs, notably with: Mr. Brad Bohnert (Numismatist, English speaking consultant), Mr. Mikhail Chernyak (specialist in Russian et Geneva numismatics), Mr. Roger Durand (Historian, President of the Société Henry Dunant), Mr. Urs Graf (Banknote specialist, German speaking consultant).
