2016-05-02 Mon

The Mint of Finland is going to release a coin featuring Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1976), the famed Finnish architect, designer, sculptor, and painter on May 16th. The coin is a part of the EUROPA Star numismatic program.

Aalto was the mastermind behind the Turun Sanomat Building, a newspaper office in Turku, the tuberculosis sanatorium at Paimio, and the Municipal Library at Vyborg. Aalto also designed pavilions for the 1937 and 1939-40 World’s Fairs held Paris and New York City. These designs used wood for structure and for surface effects which made Aalto famous for his free architectural forms.

The Alvar Aalto Medal is considered one of world architecture’s most prestigious awards. In 1986, the Bank of Finland issued a 50 markka bank note featuring Aalto. A 100 markka silver coin was issued by the Mint of Finland in 1998 on the 100th birth anniversary of Aalto.

The obverse features a portrait of Alvar Aalto, superimposed by a pattern of the Savoy Vase. This style of vase is named after a Helsinki luxury restaurant called Savoy. Alvar Aalto and his wife, Aino had designed this custom furnishing for the restaurant which opened in 1937.

The reverse includes the common design of EUROPA coins, which includes a star background motif at the center of the coin.

The maximum mintage is 10,000, out of which 100 coins will be numbered and sold separately in custom Iittala glass cases.