Pennia are aluminum coins worth one 100th of a markka, the former Finnish currency

Coins

A coin is usually a piece of hard material, usually metal or a metallic material, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government. Coins are used as a form of money in transactions of various kinds, from the everyday circulation coins to the storage of vast numbers of bullion coins. In the present day, coins and banknotes make up the cash forms of all modern money systems. Coins made for circulation (general monetized use) are usually used for lower-valued units, and banknotes for the higher values; also, in most money systems, the highest value coin is worth less than the lowest-value note. The face value of circulation coins is usually higher than the gross value of the metal used in making them, but this is not generally the case with historical circulation coins made of precious metals. For example, the historical Eagle contained .48375 troy ounce of gold and has a face value of only ten U.S. dollars, but the market value of the coin, due to its metal content, is now many times the face amount.

Exceptions to the rule of coin face-value being higher than content value, also occur for some non-monetized "bullion coins" made of silver or gold (and, rarely, other metals, such as platinum or palladium), intended for collectors or investors in precious metals. For examples of modern gold collector/investor coins, the United States mints the American Gold Eagle, Canada mints the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, and South Africa mints the Krugerrand. The American Gold Eagle has a face value of US$50, and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins also have nominal (purely symbolic) face values (e.g., C$50 for 1 oz.); but the Krugerrand does not.

Historically, a great number of coinage metals (including alloys) and other materials have been used practically, impractically (i.e., rarely), artistically, and experimentally in the production of coins for circulation, collection, and metal investment, where bullion coins often serve as more convenient stores of assured metal quantity and purity than other bullion.

Coins have long been linked to the concept of money, as reflected by the fact that in other languages the words "coin" and "currency" are synonymous. Fictional currencies may also bear the name coin (as such, an item may be said to be worth 123 coin or 123 coins).

Pennia

When the markka was introduced, coins were minted in copper (1, 5 and 10 pennia), silver (25 and 50 pennia, 1 and 2 markkaa) and gold (10 and 20 markkaa). After the First World War, silver and gold issues were ceased and cupro-nickel 25 and 50 pennia and 1 markka coins were introduced in 1921, followed by aluminium-bronze 5, 10 and 20 markkaa between 1928 and 1931. During the Second World War, copper replaced cupro-nickel in the 25 and 50 pennia and 1 markka, followed by an issue of iron 10, 25 and 50 pennia and 1 markka. This period also saw the issue of holed 5 and 10 pennia coins.

All coins below 1 markka had ceased to be produced by 1948. In 1952, a new coinage was introduced, with smaller iron (later nickel plated) 1 and 5 markka coins alongside aluminium-bronze 10, 20 and 50 markka and (from 1956) silver 100 and 200 markka denominations. This coinage continued to be issued until the introduction of the new markka in 1963.

The new markka coinage consisted initially of six denominations: 1 (aluminium), 5 (copper, later aluminium), 10 (aluminium-bronze, later aluminium), 20 and 50 pennia (aluminium-bronze) and 1 markka (silver, later cupro-nickel). From 1972, aluminium-bronze 5 markka were also issued.

The last series of Finnish markka coins included five coins (listed with final Euro values):

10 pennia (silver-coloured) - a honeycomb on the reverse and a lily of the valley flower on the obverse (0.02)
50 pennia (silver-coloured) - haircap moss on the reverse and a bear on the obverse (0.08)
1 markka (copper-coloured) - the Finnish coat of arms on the obverse (0.17)
5 markkaa (copper-coloured) - a lily pad leaf and a dragonfly on the reverse and a Saimaa seal on the obverse (0.84)
10 markkaa (two-metal coin, copper-coloured centre and silver-coloured edge) - rowan tree branches and berries on the reverse and a wood grouse on the obverse (1.68)