New Work Sheds Light on German Influences on Finland’s Banknote History

Banknote expert and author Antti Heinonen has written a new book on the history of Finnish money, focusing on international and particularly German influences in the early development of Finnish means of payment.

Starting with Johannes Gutenberg, the central role of Germans in the development of printing technology is well known. What is less well-known is their role in the design, engraving and printing of banknotes outside of Germany. Even though the then Grand Duchy of Finland was part of the Russian Empire, Germans had a role in every series of Finnish banknotes during the Russian period, including banknotes printed in St Petersburg, since all those contracted by the Bank of Finland in the printing process were of German origin.

The Bank of Finland and the German banknote foundation Giesecke+Devrient Stiftung Geldscheinsammlung (see CN July 2024) have jointly published ‘Vom Zettel zum Geldschein: Deutsche Einflüsse auf das Design und den Druck von Banknoten im Großfürstentum Finnland’ (From Piece of Paper to Banknote: German Influence on the Design and Printing of the Banknotes of the Grand Duchy of Finland).