• 4000 of the coins will be minted
• Each coin will cost 62 euros and have a nominal value of 15 euros
• The coin will go on sale at 09.00 on 4 December in the Omniva online shop and at 12.00 in the Eesti Pank museum shop
• Eesti Pank will present the silver coin at 15.00 on 4 December in the White Hall of Toompea Castle at a conference to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Otto Strandman. Attendance is by invitation

On 4 December Eesti Pank will release a silver collector coin to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Otto Strandman, who served as the first Chair of the Riigikogu, Head of State, Prime Minister and diplomat. Strandman was Prime Minister in the fourth government of the Republic of Estonia and Head of State under the 19th government. He was a lawyer, politician and diplomat who steered the Estonian economy in a new and sustainable direction.

Otto Strandman (1875–1941) was born in the village of Vandu in the Kadrina district and was an outstanding statesman. He was prominent at a time when the Estonian state was being founded and the future of the Estonian people was being decided. His successful political career started immediately after the tsarist regime collapsed, and he became one of the main drivers of the idea of autonomy for Estonia.

Otto Strandman became Prime Minister in 1919 in the first parliamentary government in Estonia, and first Chair of the Riigikogu in 1921. He later served as Head of State in 1929–1931. His clear-sighted and decisive actions as Minister of Finance in 1924 brought the young Estonian state out of an economic crisis, and he played a key part in the preparations for the change in currency from the Estonian mark to the kroon.

Strandman served as an Estonian diplomat to foreign countries on multiple occasions, in Central Europe in 1927–1929 and in Western Europe in 1933–1939. His diplomatic career benefited notably from his skill as a raconteur in society’s salons and his gentlemanly manners. He also demonstrated his powers of persuasion in domestic political settings from the courtroom to the Riigikogu.

The coins were minted by the Lithuanian mint.

The coin shows a portrait of Otto Strandman and the nominal value of the coin of 15 euros. The obverse side shows the great coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia, the words “Eesti Vabariik”, the year 2025, and Otto Strandman’s signature.

The silver coin was designed by Tanel August Lind.

“I found a portrait photograph that is well taken but rarely used, and I created a graphic image from it using contrasting curved lines. The varying thickness of the lines creates a kind of moiré effect that adds depth and optical vibrancy, while maintaining the appropriate dignity for a coin and referencing the balanced and systematic approach of Strandman”, he explained.

Designer of the coin Tanel August Lind is a professional designer and head of the studio t8d, which works on software and digital products and graphic design. Designing coins is not his everyday work, but he was able to approach this project with the problem-solving and intuitive attitude that he applies to other visual design tasks.

Sales of the coin

• The coins will go on sale on 4 December at 09.00 in the Omniva online shop.
• They will be available from the Eesti Pank museum at Estonia pst 11, Tallinn from 4 December during its opening hours from Tuesdays to Fridays 12.00-17.00 and on Saturdays 11.00-16.00. The Eesti Pank museum shop can be contacted on 668 0650.
• The Omniva customer service can be contacted by telephone on 661 6616 on working days from 09.00-20.00, and at weekends and on national holidays from 09.00–15.00, or by email at [email protected].

Further information:

• The coin dedicated to Otto Strandman is a collector coin. Collector coins are mostly made of precious metals and commemorate important events or people for the issuing country. Collector coins are only legal tender in the country of issue. They are not intended for circulation, but rather for collecting or as gifts, and their selling price usually exceeds their nominal value.
• The collector coins will on this occasion be packaged in a box made of card. Eesti Pank has tested coin boxes made of plywood and is working to find a permanent packaging solution that is stylish, local and sustainable.

For further information:
Gerli Rauk
Communications officer
Eesti Pank
668 0842
[email protected]
Press enquiries: [email protected]