Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces, Major-General Rami Saari, together with the Mayor of Hämeenlinna Olli-Poika Parviainen, had the honor of presenting the first 50 Euro Gold and Silver commemorative coin to 100 year old Finnish war veteran Antti Jahkonen. The coin was designed by Finnish sculptor Tapio Kettunen and has a nominal value of 50 euros.
The official issuer of the commemorative coin is the Helsinki Mint, brand of the Royal Dutch Mint, a Dutch mint that has begun minting Finnish circulation and commemorative coins in 2025. The official commemorative coin presentation ceremony was held in Hämeenlinna as part of the main celebration of National Veterans Day on 27 April 2025, which honors Finnish veterans. This event emphasized the nation's deep gratitude towards the veterans of our wars who gave their service.
“It is heartening to see the heavy sacrifices of war veterans being honored and appreciated in the form of a collector coin. I hope there will never be new war veterans”- Tapio Kettunen
The year 2025 is the perfect moment to honor the veterans with a coin, since the last entire age group to be drafted into war will turn 100 this year. March 13th, 2025 marked 85 years since the end of the Finland’s most famous war, the Winter War. This Finland 50 Euro “Finnish War Veterans” shows the gratitude and respect to veterans, their spouses and loved ones.
Design
The commemorative coin was designed by sculptor Tapio Kettunen. The obverse of the commemorative coin features the profiles of three people: a veteran, a soldier and a young person. Kettunen has brilliantly utilized empty space in his design so that the profiles are built from the contrast between the relief surface and the smooth background. The empty space of the design also depicts the profiles of a veteran and a soldier. This can be thought of as indicating that the veterans of our wars of 1939–1945 have almost all left us, and they continue their lives in memories. The same way, the soldier’s profile leads thoughts to the hope that no new veterans of our wars would be born. The text of the commemorative coin motif revolves in a balanced manner around the outer circumference of the obverse. The motif of the value side is a stylized Finnish flag. The flag’s partially disintegrated shape and jagged surface refer to the war years.
Helsinki Mint
The limited collector’s coin, paying homage to those who defended Finland, is now available for purchase at Helsinki Mint. The Helsinki Mint manufactures Finnish euro coins and produces and sells commemorative coins in accordance with the commemorative and special coinage programme decided by the Ministry of Finance. For further details and purchasing information, please visit www.helsinkimint.com.
