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50 Pennia
| Issuer | Suomen Pankki (Bank of Finland) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse mirrors the obverse layout with two dark circular guilloche medallions inscribed '50 PEN' at left and right, enclosing a central Art Nouveau foliate vignette printed in dark blue-black intaglio against a light blue guilloche underprint. The issuer names 'SUOMEN PANKKI' and 'FINLANDS BANK' appear at the top in bold letterpress, with the serial number repeated at lower left and right, two manuscript signatures at center, and the year '1918' at the bottom center. |
| Reverse lettering | Suomen Pankki / Finlands Bank 50 Penniä / 50 Penni (Translation: Bank of Finland (Finnish / Swedish) 50 Pennies (Finnish / Swedish)) |
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| Comments |
Eliel Saarinen — already celebrated as an architect and far better known for Helsinki Central Station than for banknote work — designed this note during one of the most violent periods in Finnish history. The 1918 Civil War had split the country between Red and White factions, and the Bank of Finland was operating under White government control when this issue was produced. The choice of a domestic printer and a nationally prominent designer carried clear political weight at a moment when asserting independent institutional authority mattered enormously.
Saarinen designed and engraved the note himself, an unusual combination for any issuer. His involvement ended here — he emigrated to the United States in 1923 and never worked in Finnish currency design again.