Catalog
10.000 Marka
| Issuer | Tallinna Arwekoja (Tallinn Clearing House) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed on cream-coloured paper with a fine guilloche border and repeated denomination text reading '10000 MARKA' along the upper and lower margins. The central field carries the title 'TALLINNA ARWEKOJA MAKSUTÄHT' in bold letterpress, flanking a central vignette of a coat of arms, with serial numbers printed twice in the upper portion. Two columns of Estonian-language text appear to the left and right of the vignette, with the issuing authority 'TALLINNA ARWEKOJA WALITSUS' and place and date line 'TALLINNAS, ... 192' in the lower section; the large denomination 'MARKA' is printed in orange across the lower central field. A red diagonal 'PROOV' (Specimen) overprint crosses the entire face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | TALLINNA ARWEKOJA MAKSUTÄHT MAKSUTÄHT ON ARWEKOTTA HOIULE ANTUD VÄÄRTUSTEGA TÄIELIKULT KINNITUSTAUD ARWEKOJA MAKSUTÄHED VÕETAKSE PANKADE POOLT RAHAMÄRKIDE ASEMEL VASTU TALLINNA ARWEKOJA WALITSUS TALLINNAS, 192 10000 MARKA PROOV |
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| Comments |
The Tallinna Arwekoja was not a central bank but a clearing house — its authority to issue paper currency in 1920 reflects just how unsettled Estonia's monetary infrastructure remained in the immediate post-independence period. The Estonian mark was being constructed almost from scratch after the collapse of tsarist ruble circulation, and institutions well outside the normal scope of note issuance were pressed into filling the gap.
Pick 5 is the highest denomination in the Arwekoja series, which itself is one of the more obscure issuing bodies in early Estonian numismatics. Local printing in Tallinn kept production under domestic control, though the technical quality of Estonian printing at this date was still developing.