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500 Markkaa
| Issuer | Vaasan Osake Pankki (Wasa Aktie Bank) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Markkaa |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Olive-yellow and blue note printed entirely in Finnish, with a large guilloche-framed numeral "500" dominating the centre, surrounded by intricate lathe-work in blue. The bank title and payment obligation text appear across the upper portion, with the word "VIISISATA" overprinted horizontally across the central vignette. Two manuscript signatures appear at lower left above a small counter numeral, the date and a heraldic shield vignette are centred at the bottom, and the serial number is printed in red at lower right within a rectangular frame; a redemption notice runs vertically along the right margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | WASA AKTIE BANK BETALAR MOT DENNA KONTOKURANTRÄKNINGS-CHECK TILL FINSKA STATSVERKET ELLER ORDER FEMHUNDRA MARK I FINSKT MYNT (Translation: Wasa Aktie Bank will pay against this current account cheque to the Finnish State Treasury or order Five Hundred Marks in Finnish currency [Small text sideways on the right] Emottages utan statsverkets endosso af landets privatbanker) |
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| Comments |
Vaasan Osake Pankki was one of several Finnish regional commercial banks forced into emergency note issuance during the Civil War of 1918, when the White-controlled north lost reliable access to central banking infrastructure. This 500 Markkaa note belongs to that brief, chaotic window — a privately issued commercial bank note functioning as de facto wartime currency in White Finland.
The denomination is unusually high for an emergency issue, suggesting it was designed for commercial settlement rather than everyday retail use. Most surviving examples show handling consistent with rapid business-to-business circulation rather than prolonged public use.