5 Markkaa

Finland was under Russian imperial administration in 1886, but the Bank of Finland operated with considerable autonomy — including the right to issue its own currency denominated in markkaa rather than rubles. The markka had been pegged to the gold standard since 1878, giving these notes real monetary credibility at a time when Russian paper currency was not convertible.

The P#A50 designation places this among the earlier catalogued Finnish issues; surviving examples from this run are genuinely uncommon, as late 19th-century Finnish notes circulated hard in a predominantly rural economy with few banking alternatives.