The Mint of Finland is Dead, Long Live the Helsinki Mint
By Sebastian Wieschowski
The contract for minting Finland’s circulation and collector coins has been awarded to a familiar face: the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (KNM) / Royal Dutch Mint (RDM), which has faced its own share of challenges in recent years and is now part of the “HM Precious Metals” group. Under a new brand name, KNM plans to breathe new life into Finnish numismatics. An official statement hints at the direction this Dutch-Finnish joint venture aims to take:
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Not a physical mint but an “initiative”: The Royal Dutch Mint welcomes its new customers with a “Kerst Penning” (Christmas Medal) as a gift. Photo: Helsinki Mint / KNM.
„Helsinki Mint is the new producer of Finland coins as of 2025. The new brand name, an initiative by the Royal Dutch Mint, will take responsibility for minting Finland’s official circulation coins, starting Spring 2025. Helsinki Mint will also issue several commemorative coins in the coming year, to celebrate national events, anniversaries and achievements. On this website, everyone can register to receive all the new information about upcoming projects.“
In another press release, the Helsinki Mint is described as an “extension of the Royal Dutch Mint” and tied to the legacy of Finland’s minting tradition. According to the statement, the Helsinki Mint “brings 450 years of minting experience and is recognized for its impressive craftsmanship and innovation.”
A New Brand for an Outsider in the Eurozone
In reality, the creation of the “Helsinki Mint” appears to be primarily a marketing initiative, with Finnish coins likely to be minted in the Netherlands. The HM Precious Metals group, which has been expanding aggressively in recent years, already owns three mints: the Royal Dutch Mint in Europe, the Commonwealth Mint in the UK, and the Osborne Mint in the US – a fourth facility seems unnecessary.
Beyond the marketing move, which includes a Nordic-inspired snowflake logo and a Santa Claus-themed medal giveaway for newsletter subscribers, nothing extraordinary has occurred. The Finnish Ministry of Finance tendered the coin production contract, and KNM won – a standard process. The only notable aspect is that the contract went to a private mint. Were state competitors simply too expensive?
Collectors Await Further News
More details on the practical implications of this new Finnish-Dutch arrangement are expected in the coming weeks. KNM Mintmaster Bert van Ravenswaaij announced via LinkedIn that the minting program will be unveiled by mid-December. The first product is slated for release at the World Money Fair 2025, with circulation coins entering the market in the spring.
This connection to the World Money Fair has already sparked speculation about the first Finnish collector coins of the KNM era. Will Finland, like Belgium and the Netherlands, introduce its own fair-exclusive coin set? Will Finland adapt its 2-euro commemorative coin policy to the Belgian-Dutch model, where such coins are largely or exclusively sold in coincards? Belgium even produces coincards in two language versions – a similar approach in Finland, using Finnish and Swedish, could honor the linguistic diversity of the issuing country and enhance the economic viability of the Helsinki Mint project.
