Social Media in a Crisis Finnish Coin Series Removed by Order of Ministry

EA ON M H IT W N O I T A I C O S S A N I S W E N Y C P N U E B R L I R S U H C E Y D B VOLUME 4 / JUNE 2017 Finnish Coin Series Removed Social Media by Order of Ministry in a Crisis Social media is considered a great way to get as close to the customers as possible. The problem is that not all customers are nice people. The opposite is true. Many a whinger is only happy when he can vent his anger. Raising his voice and attracting attention, he is thus taken more serious than somebody who uses balanced words to express a well- founded opinion. While a private company can decide for itself how to deal with criticism on the internet, mints always have to consider a third party: politics. Although, in theory, the mint operates as an independent The Finnish National Day is 6 December, The initial coin was scheduled to be company, its products are associated with when the entire country celebrates its released on 4 May 2017. The other four the state. And so some politicians become independence. During the 1917 October coins were planned to become available nervous when they feel attacked indirectly Revolution, the Finnish Senate declared between 2017 and 2019. through the mint. This is precisely what happened to its independence from Russia, which The designer was approved by the Soviet Russian Mint of Finland. When it published the In a tender competition, arranged by government a few weeks later. Since commemorative coin series ‘Decades of the separately-appointed collector coin 1919, Independence Day has been Independence’ on Instagram on 24 April committee, the internationally-renowned solemnised every year in both private 2017, many Finns posted their responses. and multiple award-winning architect and and public life. This day is an important Not all of these were negative. designer Ilkka Suppanen was chosen as Finnish public holiday, which will receive And yet these comments prompted the designer. Among his customers are Nokia special attention in 2017, as it marks the Finnish Minister of Finance – within three and Saab. 100th anniversary. hours and on his own authority – to initiate His works of art already form part of the Within the framework of the festivities the process necessary to repeal the permanent exhibition of various museums planned for this occasion, Mint of decree on the production of the collector of modern or applied arts, such as the Finland had planned to issue a series coin series. This was a political decision, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and of commemorative coins entitled ‘The not an economic one. the Museum of Applied Arts in Cologne. Decades of Independence’. This series So all the carful work and thoughts The New York MoMA has devoted an was intended to consist of five coins with specialists invested in this coin series fell exhibition to him. a face value of €5, to recall five periods prey to a handful of whingers and the that shaped Finnish history. Suppanen’s idea was to look at Finnish gut instincts of a politician. That’s kind of history from two different angles. He did With 4,000 specimens in proof quality demotivating, isn’t it? not want to merely call the glorious past to and another 15,000 in uncirculated, the mind, but rather use one side of the coin Ursula Kampmann, Editor mintage was comparatively low. Of the to emphasise the achievements, as well as popular ‘Presidents of Finland’ series, also – on the other side – the challenges and with a face value of €5, currently 6,000 difficulties of the relevant era. proof pieces and 30,000 uncirculated pieces are being issued. Continued on page 4 > www.currency-news.com Detecting Fake Finnish Coin Series (Continued) Focusing on 1917-1939, the planned scene and the scene with the dead boy in Collectors’ first release therefore features a death a prominent position. Another one showed squad, as had occurred in the Civil War the coin side with the firing squad in detail. Coins in the aftermath of the Declaration of Around noon of 25 April 2017, a Independence. Well-known numismatic journalist discussion about the coin imagery started Beth Deisher has been elected The design is based on a contemporary on social media. Not all expressions were President of the US-based ICTA’s photo. The other side depicts an important negative. The new coin motif also received Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, achievement in the era’s architecture, the ‘likes’ as well. which will work on solutions to fake Helsinki Olympic Stadium, completed in The comments, on the other hand, collectors’ coins. She will supervise 1938. were rather negative. They ranged from eight different work groups focusing According to Mint of Finland’s press ‘shocking shit’ to ‘shot their own people? as follows: release of 25 April 2017, Suppanen A dead refugee child stranded on the Law enforcement liaison: identify areas elaborated on this motif: ‘the collector beach? 100 years Finland, a great party!’, of cooperation and develop working coin is not a celebration of the civil war, to relatively balanced contributions such relationships with federal, state, and but highlights the fact that Finland pulled as ‘the brutalities of the civil war seem to local law enforcement agencies; through this difficult period. I chose the be one aspect of the difficulties of this era. civil war as the motif for the obverse side The purpose is probably good, but the Expert networks: identify and develop of the first coin in the series because it execution is very problematic.’ teams of experts in various areas of tells about the most significant challenge the US who can identify counterfeits The indignation quickly spread to other during the period 1917-1939, and how for law enforcement agencies and act media, and reader comments flooded the the country recovered from that challenge. as expert witnesses to testify in court online magazines. In the social networks, The collector coin is based on a proceedings; alternative coin motifs circulated which photograph in the Labour Archives, which further increased and caricatured what Education: develop curriculum, I think tells most clearly about the nature people had considered to be tasteless. workshops, and seminars to assist of the civil war.’ in educating law enforcement In the afternoon, Minister of Finance, Petteri professionals about counterfeit coins The Finnish Civil War Orpo apologised to the public and said and paper money in the marketplace; The Finnish Civil War, which took place that he hoped that the coins would not be from 27 January-5 May 1918, left a society issued. The only detailed English publication Research: assist law enforcement that was deeply divided. The conservative on this comes from the internet version by identifying methods of entry and forces, backed by the Germans, had of rt news, which quoted the minister as distribution networks of counterfeit triumphed over the labour movement follows: ‘to my astonishment I discovered coins and paper money in the US; militarised by the events in Russia. As a that the Mint of Finland had designed Packaging security: develop direct result, the social democratic politicians commemorative coins, on which there is channels of communication for law remained excluded from the government for what I see as a very tasteless picture. I enforcement to be able to identify almost two decades, until 1937. don’t understand how it matches the spirit counterfeit third-party coin and paper During the war, acts of violence were of Finland’s 100th anniversary– in any way money holders, fake certificates, and carried out, known today as Red and at all. I actually hope that this coin will be product packaging of various federal White Terror: 7,370 members of the labour withdrawn.’ and private mints; movement were executed, 11,652 died of At 16.08, Petteri Orpo announced that he Transport and storage security: famine and pestilence in internment camps, had initiated a process to repeal the Decree identify and develop best practice and 1,767 are still officially posted as on the Decades of Independence Collector standards to prevent the infiltration of missing. Among the conservatives, 1,424 Coin Series, which means that the planned counterfeit coin and bullion products people fell victim to the cleansings. coins cannot be issued. into commercial transport and Considering that in 1910 Finland had a Following the media furore, it had taken the storage facilities; population of less than 3 million, more Ministry of Finance about three hours to Laws and regulations: review and than 1% of the entire population lost their take action. According to the Finnish media, identify changes needed in current life in less than a year. This constitutes when making the decision all by himself local, state, and federal laws and a trauma that seems to be still latently the Minister had not even contacted the regulations regarding the manufacture, present in the society. president of the committee responsible for possession, and buying and selling of choosing this design. counterfeit coins and paper money. A mirror of our time? On the same day, 25 April 2017, Mint of Also, review and identify changes Another motif that caused a stir among Finland published on its website a press needed to prohibit the use of fake the public featured on the last planned release on the ministerial decision with the certificates and packaging and the coin, with which Ilkka Suppanen aimed at headline ‘Mint of Finland regrets the bad marketing of such items, including capturing our times. Suppanen used as his feeling caused by images on its collector advertising practices in print and inspiration a photograph taken by Nilüfer coins series.’ Two weeks later, the Mint online offerings; Kandirmis Demir, which shows the dead body of Alan Kurdi.

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