Notions set in silver

2011 marks the 150th Anniversary of Finnish Author Juhani Aho's (b. Sept 11, 1861, d. Aug 8, 1921) birth, which will be commemorated by Mint of Finland with a coin. Tarja Halonen, the president of Finland, is the official guardian of the Jubileum Year 2011: Juhani Aho 150 years.

The Commemorative coin conveys that reading is personal

The design for the collector coin was chosen in a competition. There were 22 entrants, and The Collector Coin Committee settled on the design by sculptor Reijo Paavilainen.

"A writer writes a text, but the notions arising from the text are unique to the reader. I tried to visualize these notions in my collector coin design. The two faces of the coin put together are like an open book", Paavilainen elaborates.

Aho's novels and stories are Finnish classics, and like many others, Paavilainen has also read "Rautatie" ("Railroad") as a child. A closer look reveals several references to Aho's works, e.g. to the novels "Rautatie" and "Juha". A female figure and a lamp are also discernible in the collector coin, reminding the viewer of the author's novel "Yksin ("Alone").

The Collector Coin Committee was won over with symbolism

The Ministry of Finance's Collector Coin Committee evaluated the designs entered to the contest.

”Paavilainen's design is abstract and has multiple layers, integrating several complicated issues elegantly. The design represents the dynamic changeability of Aho's work," commented Yrjö Sotamaa, chairman of the Collector Coin Committee.

The plaster models of the winning design will be on display between June 27 and July 1, in Aalto University's School of Art and Design (address: Hämeentie 135 C, Helsinki).

In addition to the permanent Collector Coin Committee members, the plaster models entered to the Juhani Aho and Finnish Literature collector coin competition were evaluated by Jyrki Nummi, Finnish Literature Society, Juha van Ingen, the Association of Finnish Sculptors, Juha Ilonen, the Finnish Association of Architects, and Riitta Talonpoika, the Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo.

Further information:

Yrjö Sotamaa,
Emeritus Professor
yrjo.sotamaa(at)aalto.fi

Maija Hiiri
secretary of the Collector Coin Committee, executive assistant,
Mint of Finland
+358 (0) 400 485 548
maija.hiiri(at)mint.fi

The Ministry of Finance makes the decisions on the issue of official Finnish collector coins. To assist in practical matters, it set up the Collector Coin Committee, which is comprised of members of the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Finland, Mint of Finland and representatives of culture and the arts. The committee will make independent proposals for new collector coins. After the Ministry of Finance makes a favourable decision, the committee will organise a design competition and select a winner. Finally, the committee will propose that the Ministry use the winning entry for a coin’s design. The chairman of the committee is Professor Emeritus Yrjö Sotamaa. Other members include Senior Budget Secretary Marja Kirppu from the Ministry of Finance, docent Maria Lähteenmäki from the University of Helsinki, curator Heikki Halme of the Ateneum Art Museum, Head of Currency Mauri Lehtinen of the Bank of Finland's Currency Department and Mint of Finland's CEO Paul Gustafsson. Representatives or artist associations (the Finnish Association of Architects, Ornamo, the Association of Finnish Sculptors) are invited to participate in the Collector Coin Committee's meetings as experts. In addition, the committee may invite other experts who are familiar with the subject. For further details about the Collector Coin Committee's activities, please visit our website at www.mint.fi