Sir Sisu

There was an outdoor fair going on over the weekend in downtown Helsinki. I went one day with the family. Often at such events, and this was no exception, there is a stand where one can strike their own coins. Of course I took the opportunity as did my son. The options were copper or aluminum- we both took copper. It is a decent chunk too: 3mm thick and 25mm diameter. Here is the result (as usual the actual thing is much better than the scan) and the equipment.

Good stuff Christian!

I have a couple of points that will give the basic outline of what I have in mind to do here. Firstly, I will keep the links, references, news, etc focused in english as much as possible. The idea is to offer resources about Finnish coinage/banknotes to the "outside" numismatic community. Of course, some Finnish language links that offer self explanatory numerical data or images may be included. Secondly, acknowledging that collecting Finnish coins is a very fringe area in the collecting world at large, I am going to focus my efforts at first to set this area up as a general information outpost for Finnish coins/banknotes, etc. Of course general discussion is always welcome. Thirdly, I do not claim expertise on Finnish coinage. It happens to be my prime area of collecting interest. So there may be much that I cannot answer. Consequently all additional opinions, corrections, answers, info, etc. are warmly welcomed! And thanks to Stujoe and Anton for setting this up!

MINTAGE FIGURES published by the Bank of Finland.

I received a reply from the Mint's communications department today (fast response! ). It confirmed what I mentioned above. The Mint's production is contingent on what the Bank of Finland orders. And thus far I have yet to hear anything to suggest that the 1 & 2 cent coins will be discontinued at this point. On the contrary I have seen some sellers here offering rolls of 2005 1 & 2 cent coins. The irony is that these part-time dealers who work the flea markets here have ordered them from Germany! And while the asking price per roll for the higher mintage 2003-2004 is around €5 per roll, this year's rolls are starting at €10 per roll.

The 1 & 2 cent coins (of any Euro nation) have never circulated in Finland. All cash sales are rounded to the nearest €0.05 at the time of total. Electronic payment methods, however, are not rounded, as the 1 & 2 cent fractional coins are not neccessary. Up until this point the 1 & 2 cent denominations have been minted by the Mint of Finland primarily for the purpose of collector demand. These coins could theoretically circulate in the other Euro nations, but is unlikely as the premium to purchase these coins are higher than the face value. The Mint of Finland's press release "Mint of Finland ended the sale of Finnish circulation coins" has raised questions as to whether the 1 & 2 cent denomination will continue to be minted. However, nowhere does it explicitly state that these coins will cease to be minted. The press release only states that the Mint will no longer sell coins directly. I have sent a query to the Mint for further clarification, and will post the reply here.

A Brief History of Finnish Money

This banknote reference book is based on the collection of the author. He not only has a complete type set of all Finnish notes, but has examples of almost all the sub-varieties, replacement notes, issue lots, differeing signature etc. Though the text is in Finnish, the significant information can be gleaned by the non-Finnish reader, for example the serial numbers and corresponding dates of issue are easily recognizable. The author includes interesting anecdotal details of the time and place where each note was acquired. Each note basically receives its own page, at the bottom of which there is the grade, value, and where applicable a rarity class rating. Also each note is placed in an issuing time frame by reference to the serial number. The book is massive, heavy, and printed on thick paper. I was fortunate to purchase a copy at a large discount as bookstores were appearantly trying to rid themselves of their inventory of these. Hardback; 393 pages, 1st ed. 2001. ISBN 951-0-26478-4. Here is an image of the cover:

I guess Colin and Rina are closer than ever now.

That it is - regarding both comments.

Hardback with dustjacket; 140 pages, 1st english ed. 1987 ISBN 951-686-134-2. Here is an image of the cover:

This is the authoritative work on Finnish coinage and banknotes by Tuukka Talvio. It does not contain a price catalogue. It is a reference work on Finnish coinage/banknotes, beginning from a brief overview of monies from the Swedish and Russian periods, through independence, and all the way to the Euro era. There are high quality images of all coins, banknotes, and commemorative coinages- coming from the collections of the Bank of Finland and the National Museum. Hardback; 200 pages, 2nd ed. for english version. 2003 ISBN 952-462-034-0. Here is an image of the cover:

This is the updated catalogue for Finnish coins and banknotes. It is compiled and published by the Finnish Numismatic Society. As it is the only non-commercial guide, the values are often more conservative than the prices at which coins are actually bought and sold. Softback; 120 pages. 9th ed. 2004. ISSN 1795-3170. Here is a picture of the cover:

SNY The section under "Huutokaupat" (auctions) offers some decent images of some of the recent offerings. Click on the "Huutokauppa" to find links to images. The "Tulokset" are just the numerical lists of the final prices realized.

Rahapaja Moneta (Their pages are only in Finnish and Swedish.)

I find that a lot of zeros help too, even if it is worthless!

I do not see much difference on the devices, but I can see it on the fields.

And I was getting excited about seeing some finnish coins!