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20 Dollars Aleksis Kivi
| Issuer | Central Bank of Liberia |
|---|---|
| Year | 2003 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the national coat of arms of Liberia at center, depicting a three-masted sailing ship at sea, a palm tree, a rising sun, a plow, and a shovel within a shield, surmounted by a scroll inscribed THE LOVE OF LIBERTY BROUGHT US HERE. The outer legend REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA arcs along the upper rim, with the same inscription repeated on a ribbon below the shield. The date 2003 is divided across the lower field, flanking the shield on either side. A fine reeded border frames the entire design. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a finely detailed right-facing bust of Aleksis Kivi, the celebrated Finnish author, rendered in high relief with long curly hair and a full beard, wearing a period coat with a loosely tied cravat. In the left field, a traditional Finnish wooden farmhouse is depicted in fine line engraving, evoking the rural setting associated with the writer's life and work. The legend ALEKSIS KIVI arcs along the upper rim in serif lettering, while the denomination 20 DOLLARS appears along the lower rim. The mirrored proof fields provide a sharp contrast to the frosted devices. |
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| Additional information |
Aleksis Kivi, Finland's national author and creator of the first significant novel written in Finnish, has no discernible connection to Liberia. This coin belongs to a category of foreign-market commemoratives produced in bulk during the late 1990s and early 2000s, where Liberia's Central Bank licensed its name to private minting operations — primarily European — that issued coins under Liberian authority for direct sale to collectors, never for domestic circulation. The coins generated hard currency revenue for Liberia while the actual striking was handled abroad.
Kivi died in 1872, recognized too late; the Finnish Literary Society had spent decades dismissing his work before academic rehabilitation made him a cultural cornerstone.