1.000 Marka

The Estonian State Treasury notes of this period were produced domestically at a time when the young republic had almost no established printing infrastructure — a considerable logistical challenge for a country that had only declared independence in 1918 and was still consolidating after the War of Independence against Soviet forces. Printing in-house was a political statement as much as a practical decision.

Nikolai Triik was one of Estonia's most respected graphic artists, better known for portraiture and painting than banknote work. His involvement gave the series an unusually fine aesthetic pedigree by the standards of emergency domestic production.