The Finland Gold Markaa was struck between 1879 and 1913 when Finland was still under control of the Russian Empire. However, during this time only denomination 10 and 20 were and few more were also issued in 1926 when Finland had become a republic and further coins were struck in the 1990s. Investors and collectors fancy the Finland Gold Markaa due to its scarcity and aesthetics with its actual value being higher than the face value. The coin is used within European countries as a legal tender and rarely is it offered for sale outside Europe. Moreover, trading in the Finland Gold Markaa neither attracts sales tax nor VAT.
The Finland Gold Markaa coin is available in denominations of 10, 20, 100, 200, 1000 and 2000. The dimensions of each denomination differ from the other although some specifications may be the same. They record diameters of 26mm, 21.30mm, 18mm, 22mm, 22mm and 28mm for denominations 10, 20, 100, 200, 1000 and 2000 respectively. They also weigh 3.2258g, 6.4516g, 4.2105g, 8.4210g, 9.0000g and 16.9700g in the same order. Their gold purity content and thickness is uniform at 90.0% and 0.9mm respectively.
The obverse depicts a double-headed Russian eagle. Above this depiction the inscription “FINLAND SUOMI” makes an arc. The center of the reverse has the face value of the coin and the year of mintage slightly below the face value. This is encircled by the inscription “5.806 GRM KULTAA 0.645 GRM KURARIA” which is translated to mean 5.806 grams of gold and 0.645 grams of copper.
The Finland Gold Markaa is a product of the Mint of Finland. The Mint was established in 1860 at a time when Finland was still a territory of the Russian Empire. Its initial establishment in Helsinki’s Katajanokka district is credited to Russia’s Alexander II. In 1988, another production facility was established in Vantaa. Starting from 1993. The Mint of Finland became a public limited company. It owns the Myntverket, the Swedish mint and 50% of Royal Norwegian Mint’s shares. Its reputation increased from 2008 for its production of the euro coins of Ireland, Estonia, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia.
