Catalog
0 Euro - Eero Järnefelt 1863-1937
| Issuer | Euro Souvenir |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
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| Printer | Oberthur Fiduciaire (Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire; FCO; Oberthur Technologies), France (1984-date) |
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| Obverse description | The right half of the obverse carries a vignette reproducing Eero Järnefelt's 1928 oil painting 'Landscape from Koli' (Finnish: Maisema Kolilta), rendered in shades of violet and ochre, with gnarled pine trees atop a rocky outcrop overlooking a lake vista. To the left, a large numeral '0' in intaglio-style print is framed by a ring of twelve gold stars, accompanied by the EU flag vignette in the upper-left corner and a QR code below it. The title inscription 'EERO JÄRNEFELT 1863–1937' and subtitle 'MAISEMA KOLILTA' appear in bold lettering across the upper margin, with the caption 'Landscape from Koli 1928' and the R. Faille C.E.O. signature printed along the lower right. |
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| Reverse description | The standard Euro Souvenir reverse carries vignettes of six iconic European landmarks arranged across the note: the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin), the Belém Tower (Lisbon), the Colosseum (Rome), the Eiffel Tower (Paris), the Sagrada Família (Barcelona), and the Manneken Pis statue (Brussels). The Mona Lisa appears as an underprint vignette to the right, while the face value '0€' is printed in large numerals at upper left. Printer attribution and country of manufacture are stated along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The 0 Euro souvenir series, produced by La Banque Européenne du Centenaire and printed by Oberthur Fiduciaire, occupies a peculiar niche: legal-tender denomination, zero spending value, sold at a premium to collectors. Järnefelt was one of Finland's most celebrated Realist painters, closely connected to the nationalist Kalevala movement and a brother-in-law of Jean Sibelius — which made him a natural candidate for Finnish cultural commemoration.
Oberthur's involvement lends the piece genuine security printing credentials, including a watermark not typically found on purely decorative items. The signature of R. Faille as CEO of LECB appears on all notes in the series regardless of subject.