A new book on the banknote history of the early decades of Finland’s independence has been published today. Written by Antti Heinonen and published by the Bank of Finland, “Sodan ja rauhan rahat. Suomen erikoinen setelihistoria 1917–1945” (Money of war and peace. Finland’s special banknote history 1917–1945) describes the early decades of Finland’s independence from the perspective of banknotes.
In the crisis conditions of the final years of the First World War, the 1918 Civil War, the Winter War 1939–1940 and the 1941–1944 Continuation War, many decisions concerning banknotes had to be made in exceptional circumstances. Therefore, the banknote history of this period of independence includes a number of special events that are linked to the political upheavals and turning points of the period. To many of the questions addressed in the book, there is no single answer, but by combining information from different sources with rich photographic material, the book presents a number of new interpretations.
This work, together with Heinonen’s earlier books, “Viimeiset markat” (The last markka banknotes) and “Ensimmäiset eurot” (The first euros), covers the banknote history of the entire period of independence. The first book examined the history of Finland’s markka banknotes after the Continuation War and the second the arrival of euro banknotes and their first decade in circulation.
The author, Antti Heinonen, has had an exceptional international career in the field of banknotes. He is currently Chairman of the Banknote Ethics Initiative, which aims to prevent corruption and to comply with anti-trust law within the banknote industry. Previously, he was Director, Banknotes at the European Central Bank and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group. Prior to joining the European Central Bank, Heinonen was Chief Cashier for the Bank of Finland.
“Sodan ja rauhan rahat. Suomen erikoinen setelihistoria 1917–1945” (Money of war and peace. Finland’s special banknote history 1917–1945) can be purchased at the Bank of Finland Museum as well as in book shops. The book is published by Edita.
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A publication event for the book “Sodan ja rauhan rahat. Suomen erikoinen setelihistoria 1917–1945” (Money of war and peace. Finland’s special banknote history 1917–1945) will be held at the Bank of Finland Museum, Snellmaninkatu 2, Helsinki on Tuesday, 25 October 2016 at 5.00 p.m.
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1 markka banknote, printed on the day of Finland’s Declaration of Independence, 6 December 1917
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