The provincial animals of Finland's historic provinces are being honoured with their own collector coins. On 27 May, by authorisation of the Ministry of Finance, Mint of Finland is releasing the coins of Karelia and Savonia as the first in a series of nine collector coins. The nominal value of a collector coin is five euros.
The new coin series pays tribute to the emblematic animals of Finland's provinces. The Animals of the Provinces series is the third coin series struck in honour of Finland's historic provinces.
”Provincial coins immortalise in metal things that are essential to Finnishness – livelihoods, culture, and now animals. Maybe that is why so many Finns have purchased the coins of their provinces. The provincial five-euro coins rank amongst the most popular coins minted by Mint of Finland,” says Mint of Finland CEO Paul Gustafsson.
Mint of Finland began minting provincial coins by authorisation of the Ministry of Finance in 2010. In 2012–2013, the series depicted the landmark buildings of Finland's historic provinces, while the coins minted in 2010–2011 featured traditional livelihoods and provincial culture.
The decree of the Ministry of Finance on the provincial animal coins is available here (in Finnish) http://finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2014/20140363
The Karelian coin features the cuckoo
The cuckoo has long been the provincial bird of Karelia. Karelia's provincial animal coin thus depicts the cuckoo, behind which opens a traditional Karelian lake vista. The collector coin's reverse bears the historic coat of arms of Karelia.
The 2013 Karelian coin paid tribute to the Imatrankoski rapids, and the 2011 coin honoured the Karelian tradition of birch-bark crafts.
The collector coin of Savonia bears the black-throated loon
The provincial bird of Savonia, the black-throated loon, is a familiar sight on rugged, clear lakes. The collector coin of Savonia depicts a black-throated loon swimming on the rippling surface of a Savonian lake, with an island visible in the horizon. The collector coin's reverse is stamped with the historic coat of arms of Savonia.
The 2013 coin of Savonia commemorated Olavinlinna castle, while the 2011 coin paid tribute to a traditional agricultural technique typical of Savonia – slash-and-burn farming.
Five hundred of each provincial animal coin will be wrapped in numbered certificates of authenticity
The collector coins of Karelia and Savonia inaugurating the Animals of the Provinces series will be available from the Mint of Finland online shop and from retailers on 27 May. The series will continue with the collector coins of Finland Proper and Åland in the autumn.
The maximum mintages of these base metal provincial coins with a nominal value of EUR 5 will be 35,000 UNC quality and 10,000 proof quality coins. Collector coins have a diameter of 27.25 millimetres and weigh 9.8 grams. Obverse sides of provincial animal coins are designed by Erkki Vainio and reverse sides by Nora Tapper.
Proof-quality, finished collector coins are offered in a protective transparent casing set in a package that tells the coin's story. The price of a proof-quality collector coin is EUR 22.
Five hundred of each UNC-quality collector coin will be wrapped in numbered certificates of authenticity and sold at a price of EUR 10 each. Provincial coins can be purchased for their nominal value in purses of ten, costing EUR 50.
For more information, please contact:
Katriina Holm
Communications and Marketing Designer
Mint of Finland
+358 400 211 066
katriina.holm(at)mint.fi
Mint of Finland Group designs, markets and manufactures metal coins, blanks, and collector and gift coins along with coin sets. Mint of Finland Group is the strongest mint in the Eurozone as well as one of the biggest exporters of coins worldwide. The company is owned by the Republic of Finland. Saxonia Mint of Finland is a subsidiary of Mint of Finland. You can see how coins are produced at the About a Coin exhibition at the Heureka Science Centre. For more information about the 2014 events, please visit www.mint.fi
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