Inside hours of the announcement of UBS’s state-backed takeover, memorabilia bearing the name and logo of lender Credit Suisse was put up for sale in Switzerland, marking the tip of an era.
Dozens of gold bars bearing the name of the issuer – 167-year-old Credit Suisse – were placed on the country’s hottest online platforms, Ricardo.ch and tutti.ch.
The blue and red “CS” ski hats that were at the peak of fashion within the Nineteen Seventies fetched prices near 200 Swiss francs ($216).
Other branded goods on sale include stamps, old letters and sports bags.
With it still unclear whether the Credit Suisse brand will proceed, retailers are scrambling to draw those that wish to grab a bit of Swiss financial history.
Credit Suisse is anticipated to stay an independent brand until the merger is complete, at which point UBS will determine whether to retire Credit Suisse’s separate identity.
Corporate merchandise from the recently failing Silicon Valley Bank can be popular online, as are Lehman Brothers-related merchandise, which filed for bankruptcy at the peak of the 2008 financial crisis.