Catalog
20 Markkaa
| Issuer | Bank of Finland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Value | 20 Markkaa |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SUOMEN PANKKI MAKSAA TÄSTÄ SETELISTÄ KAKSIKYMMENTÄ MARKKAA KULLASSA (Translation: Bank of Finland will pay for this banknote Twenty Marks in gold) |
| Reverse description | A stylized tree occupies the centre of the design, with the Finnish Arms — the Lion of Finland — positioned below it. Trilingual text in Finnish, Swedish, and Russian is arranged across the note, reflecting the Grand Duchy of Finland's official linguistic and political status under Imperial Russia. |
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| Comments |
The 1909 Finnish 20 Markkaa series was issued under the monetary arrangement that kept Finland on the gold standard independently from Russia — the Finnish markka had been legally separated from the Russian ruble since 1865, an unusual degree of fiscal autonomy for an imperial grand duchy. The Bank of Finland managed its own reserves and issued currency without routing through St. Petersburg, a situation that grew increasingly awkward as Russian pan-nationalist pressure intensified during the early 1900s.
Pick 11 is the second type in the 20 Markkaa denomination sequence. The series was printed by the Finnish Literature Society's press in Helsinki.