A total of 2.5 million special two-euro coins are about to enter circulation: minting of commemorative Independent Finland 100 Years coins has begun at Mint of Finland

Today, Governor Erkki Liikanen of the Bank of Finland started the production of com-memorative Independent Finland 100 Years coins at Mint of Finland. A total of 2.5 million special coins will be minted in honour of Finland’s century of independence. The special coins will be released into circulation on 1 June 2017.

Today, Mint of Finland’s factory in Vantaa celebrated the launch of a new Finnish spe-cial two-euro coin with a visit by Governor Erkki Liikanen of the Bank of Finland.

”Banknotes and coins belong together, complement each other. Together with the Ministry of Finance and Mint of Finland, the Bank of Finland makes sure that the Finnish people have access to the tender they need”, says Governor Erkki Liikanen.

”Special coins are legal tender in the eurozone and thus spread the word about our centenary as the coins circulate in Europe. It is fantastic to be able to celebrate Finland’s century of independence together with the Bank of Finland”, says CEO Jonne Hankimaa of Mint of Finland.

The national side of the special coin is the work of designer Simon Örnberg, who also designed the Independent Finland 100 Years gold coin. The special coin features a mo-saic forming the cartographic image of Finland. According to Örnberg, this represents Finland as an increasingly open society integrated and networked with the surrounding world.

The designs and release of special two-euro coins is up to the individual euro coun-tries and the Central Bank of Europe approves their mintages. The reverse of a special coin is identical to normal circulation pieces, while the national side of the coin bears a special themed image.

Each euro state is permitted to release two special two-euro coins into circulation each year. The special coins are legal tender everywhere in the eurozone, which means that vendors are obliged to accept them as payment.

The special coins are also available from Mint of Finland’s online shop and retailers in UNC or proof quality.

For more information, please contact:
Henna Karjalainen
Vice President,Communications
Mint of Finland
+358 50 575 9197
henna.karjalainen@mint.fi

Mint of Finland Group designs, markets and manufactures metal coins, blanks, collector coins, special coins and coinages. Mint of Finland Group is the strongest mint in the euro zone and one of the largest global exporters of metal coins. The company is owned by the Republic of Finland. By decision of the Ministry of Finance, Mint of Finland has exclusive rights to mint collector coins in Finland. The collector coins and special coins released in 2017 are part of the Finland 100 programme coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office. For more information on events in 2017, please visit www.mint.fi