Catalog
500 Marka
| Issuer | Eesti Vabariigi Kassatäht (Estonian State Treasury) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Size | 127 x 75 mm |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in olive-green and light blue tones, centred on a vignette of Toompea Castle in Tallinn rendered in fine engraved line work, framed by an elaborate border of acanthus scrollwork and foliate ornaments. The denomination numeral "500" appears in a cartouche at the lower centre, while the serial number is printed twice in the upper field flanking the castle vignette. The legend "EESTI VABARIIGI KASSATÄHT" and "VIISSADA MARKA" arc across the upper portion of the note in bold letterpress. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EESTI VABARIIGI KASSATÄHT VIISSADA MARKA 500 |
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| Comments |
By 1923, the Estonian marka was already a currency on borrowed time. The mark had been adopted in 1919 as a provisional unit pegged loosely to the German mark, but postwar inflation had badly eroded its purchasing power, and the government was actively preparing the transition to the kroon — a reform that would eventually arrive in 1928 at a rate of 100 marka to 1 kroon. A 500 marka note, substantial on paper, represented considerably less than it appeared by the time these were circulating.
Printed domestically by Eesti Riiklik Trükikoda — the Estonian State Printing House in Tallinn — rather than contracted abroad, which was unusual for a small nation still building its institutions barely four years after independence. The choice reflected both a point of national pride and a practical effort to reduce dependence on foreign printers during a period of fiscal instability.