Designer: Heli Kauhanen
Ag 925, 38.6mm, 27.4g
Mintage BU 6,500 - PROOF 23,500
Obverse: Incuse silhouette of J.L. Runeberg.
Reverse: Close-up of newspaper text style contemporary to Runeberg.
Edge: Plain
Commemorates 200 years since the birth of Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-1877). Considered the national poet of Finland, his best known work is entitled Tales of Ensign Stål (Fänrik Ståls sägner). Included in that work was a poem that became the lyrics to the Finnish National Anthem. Despite that his work was written in Swedish, it was the fact that his subject matter was dealing with Finnish themes that was of more importance. He was one of the leaders in the cultural sphere that sought to create new bodies of work that would support the national awakening of a uniquely Finnish identity seperate that of Swedish and Russian.