Catalog
20 Markkaa
| Issuer | Suomen Pankki (Bank of Finland) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
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| Size | 139 × 78 mm |
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| Reverse description | Orange and black reverse with a fine guilloche lattice underprint and ornate border. At upper center, a large foliate vignette surrounds the bold numeral '20' within a circular guilloche frame flanked by palm and laurel branches. To the left, a circular intaglio medallion bears the profile portrait of a classical female figure, while to the right a corresponding medallion carries a bearded male portrait in profile. The denomination is stated in Russian in prominent letterpress as 'ДВАДЦАТЬ МАРОКЪ ЗОЛОТОМЪ' with the issuer identified as 'ФИНЛЯНДСКIЙ БАНКЪ,' and additional trilingual regulatory text in Finnish, Swedish, and Russian appears in small print along the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | 20 MARK I GULD KAKSIKYMMENTÄ MARKKAA 20 МАРОКЪ ЗОЛОТОМЪ ПРЕДЪЯВИТЕЛЮ СЕГО ФИНЛЯНДСКIЙ БАНКЪ ВЫДАЕТЪ ДВАДЦАТЬ МАРОКЪ ЗОЛОТОМЪ. |
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| Comments |
Finland was still a Grand Duchy under Russian rule when this note circulated, but the Bank of Finland operated with considerable autonomy — the markka had been pegged to gold since 1878, and these notes were redeemable in specie at a fixed rate. That convertibility was the political point: Finnish monetary policy was deliberately kept separate from the Russian ruble system.
The A47 series is among the earlier small-format Finnish issues and was printed by the Finnish Government Printing House in Helsinki, an unusual choice for the period when most comparable institutions still contracted to foreign security printers.