Designer: Matti Peltokangas
Bimetallic Ag925/Au750, 27.25mm, 12.89g
Mintage PROOF 10,600
Obverse: A snowflake
Reverse: A close-up of the same snowflake
Edge: Plain
No specific person or event was commemorated with this coin. It was issued to be the first euro denominated bimetallic silver/gold commemorative. The theme was to showcase Finnish art and design. In contrast to other commemoratives where proposals for the design are open for all to submit, the designs submitted for this commemorative were by invitation only.
The designer chose an abstract theme to represent Finland, that being a snowflake symbolizing the climate which plays a significant role for all Finns. In addition the magnified snowflake can also be viewed as being a coniferous forest, also a very prominant aspect of Finnish identity. The beaded edge pays homage to earlier coins of Finland, where a beaded edge was quite common.