0 Euro - Aleksanteri I

Finland's 0 Euro souvenir notes are legal tender by technical classification but issued purely for the collector market — they carry no redemption value and were never intended to circulate. This example commemorates Alexander I, who ruled Finland as Grand Duke from 1809, the year the Russian Empire seized the territory from Sweden following the Finnish War. His early reign was notably conciliatory; he confirmed Finnish laws, convened the Diet of Porvoo, and allowed the Lutheran church to function undisturbed, which bought him genuine local goodwill.

Oberthur Fiduciaire in France handles printing for much of this souvenir series, using genuine banknote paper with a watermark to maintain at least the physical character of currency.