The third coin in third coin in the Presidents of Finland coin series has just been released by the Mint of Finland. The coin pays homage to the third President of an independent Finland, Pehr Evind Svinhufvud (1861-1944).

Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad (15 December 1861 – 29 February 1944), better known simply as P.E. Svinhufvud, served as the third President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Prior to that he was Prime Minister from 1930 to 1931, he was also the Chairman of the Senate, a judge and started his career as a lawyer.

He opposed both left-wing communist and right-wing nationalist movements of his time. His leadership was crucial in foiling the so-called Mäntsälä rebellion, which was in reality less of a rebellion than it was a failed coup attempt by the right wing Lapua Movement. In a national radio address he urged the militia men to return to their homes, promising that the ordinary members would suffer no consequences if they desist their activities immediately. The speech worked and the rebellion crumbled, only the top leadership of the movement were arrested a few days afterwards. Here is an extract from that same speech :

"Throughout my long life, I have struggled for the maintenance of law and justice, and I cannot permit the law to now be trampled underfoot and citizens to be led into armed conflict with one another.... Since I am now acting on my own responsibility, beholden to no-one, and have taken it upon myself to restore peace to the country, from now on every secret undertaking is aimed not only at the legal order but at me personally as well - at me, who have myself marched in the ranks of the Civil Guards as an upholder of social peace.... Peace must be established in the country as swiftly as possible, and the defects that exist in our national life must thereafter be eliminated within the framework of the legal order."

The reverse of the coin bears a left facing three quarter portrait of P.E. Svinhufvud, with the reverse legend of “Pehr Evind Svinhufvud 1861 – 1944” appearing along the outer ring of the bi-metallic coin.

The obverse is the shared design of the entire Presidents of Finland series. The obverse features an abstract depiction of rural Finnish fields in the background. The foreground bears the outline of an open book that contains an urbanized environment. The obverse legend is divided into four sections along the outer ring, at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. This reads : “FINLAND”, “2016”, “5 EURO” and “SUOMI”. To the right of “FINLAND” appears the mintmark of the Mint of Finland and to the left the letter “L” which stands for Tero Lounas, who designed the series.

Finland 2016 P.E. Svinhufvud Presidents of Finland Proof Coin box

The Presidents of Finland series is a series of legal tender commemorative 5 Euro coins issued by the Mint of Finland as a part of the Finland 100 programme, which celebrates a century of Finnish independence. The 27.25mm(1.073 inch) bi-metallic coins are struck from a cupro-nickel outer ring and an aluminium bronze inner disc. The series will consist of eight coins in total and is set to run until 2017.

The coin is being issued in both proof and uncirculated finishes. The proof coin is available for €22.00 each and is issued in a printed sealed blister pack. The uncirculated coin is available for €10.00 each also contained in a somewhat smaller blister pack. A total of 6000 proof coins have been minted and 30 000 uncirculated coins for the P.E. Svinhufvud commemorative coin. The Mint of Finland is also making a special box of ten coins available for order, the coin box is currently priced at €62.00. These coins can be obtained directly from the Mint of Finland's website, or you can ask your trusted international coin dealer to obtain them for you.

Finland 2016 P.E. Svinhufvud Coin - Presidents of Finland

With the K.J. Ståhlberg, L.K. Relander and now the P.E. Svinhufvud coins already having been issued, only the Kyösti Kallio coin is let to come out later this year. The series is then set to continue into 2017 with the issuance of the final four coins in the set. These will be dedicated to Risto Ryti, C.G.E. Mannerheim, J.K. Paasikivi and U.K. Kekkonen.

For a look at all of the coin that have been issued to date in the Presidents of Finland series you can go to the WNN Gallery section HERE