Catalog
500 Markkaa
| Issuer | Suomen Pankki (Bank of Finland) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Value | 500 Markkaa |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A central vignette of a waterfall fills the middle of the note, flanked by text in Finnish on the left and Swedish on the right, with Russian text along the bottom margin. The layout is symmetrical, with legal text in smaller lettering on either side referencing the Finnish monetary law of 1877. |
| Reverse lettering | SUOMEN PANKKI FINLANDS BANK ФИНЛЯНДСКІЙ БАНК ПЯТЬСОТ МАРОКЪ ЗОЛОТОМЪ LAKI SUOMEN SUURIRUHTINAANMAAN RAHASTA ANNETTU HELSINGISSÄ 9P:NÄ ELOKUUTA 1877. 1§ SUOMENMAAN RAHALAITOKSEN KANTANA ON KULTA AINOANA ARVONMITTANA. (Translation: Bank of Finland [in Finnish, left; in Swedish, right]. [Bottom, in Russian] Bank of Finland Five Hundred Marks in Gold. [Smaller lettering on either side] The law on the money of the Grand Duchy of Finland, enacted in Helsinki on 9th August 1877. §1 The monetary system of Finland takes gold as the sole standard of value.) |
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| Comments |
The 500 Markkaa notes of this series were the highest denomination in general circulation before Finland's declaration of independence in 1917, meaning they moved through an economy still formally tied to the Russian imperial system. Finland had its own currency and central bank, but the markka was pegged to gold and the political relationship with St. Petersburg cast a long shadow over monetary policy throughout this period.
Pick 14 is notoriously prone to fold damage along the horizontal center — the paper stock used for the 1909 series was heavier than later issues but reacted poorly to humidity, and Finland's climate did it no favors. Uncirculated survivors are genuinely uncommon.