Catalog
5 Pennia - Aleksandr II
| Issuer | Finland (Grand Duchy) |
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| Year | 1865-1875 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the ornate imperial cypher of Tsar Alexander II, formed by an interlaced Cyrillic 'A' surmounted by the Roman numeral 'II', executed in an elaborate foliate and scrollwork design. The cypher is topped by a small imperial crown with pendant ribbons, rendered in high relief against the smooth field. Decorative foliate flourishes extend laterally from the base of the monogram. The entire design is encircled by a dotted (beaded) border, a characteristic feature of the earlier KM#4.1 type. |
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| Mintage | 1865 - KM#4.1 Dotted border - 480,000 1866 - KM#4.1 Dotted border - 2,490,000 1867 - KM#4.1 Dotted border - 1,660,000 1870 - KM#4.1 Dotted border - 300,000 1872 - KM#4.2 Dentilated border - 500,000 1873 - KM#4.2 Dentilated border - 1,000,000 1875 - KM#4.2 Dentilated border - 1,000,000 |
| Additional information |
Finland's copper coinage of the 1860s emerged directly from the monetary reforms that established the Finnish markka as a currency independent of the Russian ruble — a politically delicate arrangement that Tsar Alexander II permitted as part of a broader policy of conciliation toward Finnish autonomy. The Senate in Helsinki, not St. Petersburg, administered the Mint of Helsinki's output, giving this coin an administrative character quite distinct from imperial Russian issues of the same reign.
The 1860s issues are notably cruder in execution than later dates in the series, a product of the Helsinki Mint still calibrating its equipment following the currency reform.