Catalog
5 Markkaa
| Issuer | Bank of Finland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Currency | Markka (1860-1963) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue, the obverse is centred on an Imperial Russian double-headed Czarist eagle vignette at upper centre, flanked by denomination numerals in the upper left and right corners. Bilingual text in Finnish (left) and Swedish (right) occupies the lateral panels, with two manuscript signatures and serial numbers arranged along the lower portion of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | SUOMEN PANKKI MAKSAA TÄSTÄ SETELISTÄ VIISI MARKKAA KULLASSA (Translation: Bank of Finland will pay for this banknote Five Marks in gold) |
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| Comments |
Finland was still a Grand Duchy under Russian imperial rule when this note was issued, which made the Bank of Finland's continued operation as a distinct institution something of a political anomaly. The 1909 series predates independence by nearly a decade, and the Markkaa itself was deliberately pegged to gold rather than the Russian ruble — a calculated insistence on monetary separation that St. Petersburg tolerated uneasily.
Pick 9 is the scarcer of the two signature varieties within this date range. Paper quality on surviving examples tends to be unforgiving of humidity damage, and edge splits are common along the horizontal fold lines.