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500 Marka
| Issuer | Eesti Pank (Bank of Estonia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Marka |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | EESTI PANGATÄHT VIISSADA MARKA 500 |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a dense guilloche underprint across the entire field, with a large central oval medallion bearing the inscription 'VIISSADA 500 MARKA' in bold lettering enclosed by fine lathe-work. The denomination numeral '500' is repeated in each corner, while the legend 'EESTI PANGATÄHT' arches across the top and 'VIISSADA MARKA' runs along the bottom. Flanking text panels carry the legal tender inscriptions in Estonian in two lines across the lower register. |
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| Comments |
Estonia's postwar monetary system was built almost from scratch after the collapse of the Russian Imperial ruble, and Eesti Pank turned to the American Bank Note Company during the early 1920s to produce notes of a quality the nascent republic could not yet manufacture domestically. The ABNC had been supplying governments worldwide with engraved currency since the mid-nineteenth century, and Estonia was one of several newly independent states that engaged them in this period.
The Estonian marka itself was already under pressure by the time these notes were entering circulation — chronic inflation eventually forced a currency reform in 1928, when the kroon replaced the marka at a rate of 100:1.