2 euro coins Finland 2007, 90th Anniversary of Finland's Independence






Finnish commemorative 2 euro coins, 90th Anniversary of Finland's Declaration of Independence

This coin was issued on the occasion of the 90-year anniversary of the Finnish declaration of independence, adopted by the Parliament of Finland on 6 December 1917, which ended Finland’s status as an autonomous Russian Grand Duchy.

Commemorative 2 euro coins from Finland

Description: The centre part of the coin shows nine people rowing a boat with long oars. The year mark 2007 and the year 1917 (when Finland became independent) appear on the top and the bottom of the design respectively. The mint mark appears on the left side, and the inscription FI on the right side. The twelve stars of the European Union surround the design on the outer ring of the coin.



Reverse: left from the coin centre face value: 2, on the right inscription: EURO; in the background of the inscription a map of Europe; in the background of the map vertically six parallel lines ending on both sides with five-pointed stars (the reverse is common for all euro coins)

Issuing volume: 2000000  coins
Date of issue:  1 December 2007
Face value:     2 euro
Diameter:        25.75 mm
Thickness:       2.2 mm
Weight:            8.5 gr
Composition: BiAlloy (Nk/Ng), ring Cupronickel (75% copper - 25% nickel clad on nickel core), center Nickel brass (75% copper - 20% zinc - 5% nickel)
Design: Reijo Paavilainen is credited with the design of the Finnish 2007 €2 Euro Commemorative coin.
€2 Edge Inscription: The Finnish €2 coin edge inscription is 'SUOMI FINLAND', followed by three lion heads:
Mint Location: Rahapaja Oy, in Helsinki-Vantaa, Finland.
Mint Marks: Mintmark of the Mint of Finland: the mint's former logo (before 2010): a stylised cornucopia with coins. Located at the middle left of the inner circle.
National Identification: Abbreviation: 'FI'; Finland.

Finnish Declaration of Independence
The Finnish declaration of independence (Finnish: Suomen itsenäisyysjulistus; Swedish: Finlands självständighetsförklaring) was adopted by the Parliament of Finland on 6 December 1917. It declared Finland an independent nation, among nations and a sovereign republic and therefore broke the country free from being the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland.

The February and the October Revolution in 1917, had also ignited hopes in the Grand Duchy of Finland. After the abdication of Grand Duke Nicholas II on 15 March 1917, the personal union between Russia and Finland lost its legal base – at least according to the view in Helsinki. There were negotiations between the Russian Interim Government and Finnish authorities.
The resulting proposal, approved by the interim government, was heavily rewritten in the Parliament and transformed into the so-called Power Act (Finnish: Valtalaki, Swedish: Maktlagen), in which it declared itself now having all powers of legislation, except in respect of foreign policy and military issues, and also that it could be dissolved only by itself. At the time of voting it was believed that the Interim Government would be defeated. The Interim Government sustained, did not approve the act and dissolved the Parliament.
After new elections and the defeat of the interim government, on 5 November, the Parliament declared itself to be "the possessor of supreme State power" in Finland, based on Finland's Constitution, and more precisely on §38 in the old Instrument of Government of 1772, which had been enacted by the Estates after Gustav III's bloodless coup.
On 15 November 1917, the Bolsheviks declared a general right of self-determination, including the right of complete secession, "for the Peoples of Russia". On the same day the Finnish Parliament issued a declaration by which it assumed, pro tempore, all powers of the Sovereign in Finland.
The old Instrument of Government was however no longer deemed suitable. Leading circles had long held monarchism and hereditary nobility to be antiquated, and advocated a republican constitution for Finland.
The Senate of Finland, the government the Parliament had appointed in November, came back to the Parliament with a proposal for a new republican Instrument of Government on 4 December. The Declaration of Independence was technically given the form of a preamble of the proposition, and was intended to be agreed by the Parliament. Parliament adopted the Declaration on 6 December.
On 18 December (31 December N. S.) the Soviet Russian government issued a Decree, recognizing Finland's independence, and on 22 December (4 January 1918 N. S.) it was approved by the highest Soviet executive body, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK).