Below are 10 notes issued by the Bank of Estonia from 1991 to 2006. These notes were put together by the central bank in a plastic sleeve each sealed with a silver coloured label and were sold to the public individually as collectibles at a premium over the face value of the note.
In modern history, Estonia declared independence in 1918 after the end of the First World War. The country was then occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 during the Second World War and Nazi Germany took it over in 1941. The Russians reclaimed the land following the defeat of the German army in 1944. The Soviet Union continued to occupy the country until the collapse of the empire in December 1991. Estonia however declared independence in August 1991. Estonia has a rather small population, around 1.40+ million people.
The notes that I have posted here are considered as the first series of banknotes issued since gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Since 1991. The central bank had issued banknotes in the values of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 krooni. The first series of notes were printed with the year date of 1991 and 1992 and officially released on 20.06.1992. The 1 and 2 krooni notes were printed with the year date of 1992, whilst the rest of the denominations were printed with the year dates of 1991 and 1992. Reprints were then issued over the years, with the last circulation note issued with the year date of 2007.
The notes I have posted here are all especially put together by the central bank. These are all uncirculated notes and sold with a premium over the face value. Whilst I do not have the exact date for the release of these collectibles, it is believed that the bank commenced selling them in 2010. The reason I said this is that I got these notes in January 2011 from a collector in Estonia, and Estonia adopted the Euro currency on 01.01.2011. These are the only series of banknotes ever issued since 1991.
After adopting the Euro, the Estonia kroon ceased legal tender on 15.01.2011. The banks then allowed for the public to exchange the kroon for Euro until 31.12.2011. However, I believe you can still exchange them, but only in person at the Estonia Bank museum in Estonia. If you have any and if they are in uncirculated condition, your notes are worth much more than at face value.
The notes that I have posted here are all in excellent condition. I believe these notes were carefully selected for these purposes and for all the 10 notes I have posted here, not a single one has that common cutting cup mark on the top or bottom edges of the note. The sleeve is partially sealed with a silver coloured tape and on the tape, the following words are printed in Estonian language: -
Ringlemata Pangätaht
As these are sold as numismatic products, these notes were sold at a premium at: -
Note * - I do not have the one for the 50 krooni note and as such I have no details as to what the selling price was then. I can only guess it's between 60 to 75 krooni each. It should be noted that the 50 krooni denomination was not a popular denomination as since 1991, this 50 krooni denomination was only issued once and it was printed with the year date of 1994. Like the 50 krooni, the 1 kroon was also printed once with the year date of 1992, however, I can only assume that this was due to the low denomination value, and replaced by a coin since then.
As I mentioned before, I got these 10 notes in January 2011, through exchange with a collector from Estonia at cost. In return, I provided the collector a mixture of Australian and foreign banknotes at face value.
Two Krooni
 |
| 2006 |
Front - The portrait of Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer Edler von Huthorn (b.1792-1876). He was a German scientist and explorer. He was born in Estonia and is considered as the founding father of embryology.
President - Andres Lipstok
Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg
Watermarks - Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer and electrotype 2
Sizes - 141.5mm x 69mm
Back - The main building of University of Tartu. This is a public university and was established in 1632. This is the oldest and largest university in the country. This university was previously known as the University of Dorpat.
Five Krooni
 |
| 1992 |
Front - Portrait of Paul Keres (b. 1916-1975). Keres was a chess grandmaster but had never won any World Chess Championship during his lifetime. Due to the circumstances of his country, and apart from representing his country in chess tournaments, he also represented the Soviet Union in the early 1940s, then the German, and then Soviet Union again after the war until his death in 1975. He died from a heart attack in Helsinki (Finland) at the age of 59 years old.
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141.5mm x 70mm
Back - On the back, the note depicts the images of the Narva castle and Ivangorod fortress. The Narva castle (also known as Hermann Castle) was built around 1256 and is situated in the city of Narva, north-east of Estonia. The city is located at the border between Estonia and Russia and the city is divided by the Narva river. To the right is the image of the Ivangorod fortress in Ivangorod which is situated in Russian territory. The bridge that linked these two cities is called the Friendship bridge.
Ten Krooni
 |
| 1991 |
Front - The portrait of Jakob Hurt (b.1839-1907). He was an Estonian folklorist, nationalist and theologian.
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141mm x 69.5mm
Back - An image of the Tamme-Lauri oak tree. The Tamme-Lauri oak tree is a large common oak. The tree printed on the note is located in Antsla Parish in Voru Country (south of Estonia) and is the thickest and oldest tree in the country. This tree stands 17 meters tall and has a circumference of 831 centimeters. Over the years, this tree was repeatedly damaged by lightning strikes. This tree was reportedly planted in 1326.
Ten Krooni
 |
| 1992 |
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141mm x 70mm
Ten Kooni
 |
| 1994 |
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141mm x 70mm
Ten Krooni
 |
| 2006 |
President - Andres Lipstok
Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg
Watermarks - Andres Lipstok and electrotype 10
Back - The serial number is printed on the back.
Sizes - 141mm x 70mm
Note - The serial numbers are now shifted to the back. All previous issues were printed on the front.
Twenty Five Krooni
 |
| 1992 |
Front - Anton Hansen-Tammsaare (b.1878-1940), was an Estonian writer. His birth name was Anton Hansen. He became famous when he wrote the pentalogy Truth and Justice, and his work was translated into French, Latvian, Czech, Finish, Polish, Hungarian and English..
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141.5mm x 70mm
Back - An image of Vargamae village. It appears that images are showing two farm houses and a barn. I have no other info to describe this design, but I quite like it. It's quite nice, and looks very natural too.
Twenty Five Krooni
 |
| 2002 |
President - Vahur Kraft
Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg
Watermarks - Vahur Kraft and electrotype 25
Sizes - 140mm x 70mm
Note - Serial numbers are printed on the back.
One Hundred Krooni
 |
| 1994 |
Front - Lydia Koidula (b.1843-1886). She was a well known Estonian poet. Her birth name was Lydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen and Koidula was her pen name. She is the only female to appear on this series.
President - Siim Kallas
Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141.5mm x 69mm
Back - Image of the Rannamoisa cliffs situated in the Rannamoisa Landscape Conservation Area. The Rannamoisa cliffs are located in the Harju Country in northern Estonia. These cliffs offer scenic views of the Baltic Sea, Kakumae Bay and the Tallinn coastline.
One Hundred Krooni
 |
| 1999 |
President - Vahur Kraft
Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg
Watermarks - Lydia Koidula and electrotype 100
Sizes - 141mm x 70mm
Five Hundred Krooni
 |
| 1996 |
Front - Karl Robert Jakobson (b.1841-1882), a writer, publisher, politician, teacher and a promoter of agriculture.
President - Vahur Kraft
Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Uno Mereste
Watermark - Three lions (partially)
Sizes - 141mm x 70mm
Back - An image of a Barn swallow in flight on a beautiful landscape background. To me, this is one of the most beautiful notes designed for this series.
Below is a list of banknotes issued for this series: -
1 kroon note (1992 issue)
2 krooni note (1992 issue)
5 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994 issues)
10 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994 issues)
25 krooni note (1991, 1992, 2002 issues)
50 krooni note (1994 issue)
100 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994, 1999 issues)
500 krooni note (1991, 1994, 1996, 2000 issues)
