1 Markka large lettering

Finland's first markka coinage was authorized under Alexander II's 1860 monetary reform, which severed the Grand Duchy's currency from the Russian ruble and established an independent Finnish monetary system — a quietly significant act of administrative autonomy within the empire. The large lettering variety, KM#3.1, was struck at the Helsinki Mint in the earliest years of the series before a modified die reduced the inscription size, making the 1864–1870 issues the founding type of Finnish decimal coinage.