Norway 1878 krone
This specimen was lot 31285 in Heritage sale 3089 (Dallas, TX, January 2021), where it sold for $19,200. The catalog description[1] noted, "Norway. Oscar II Krone 1878 MS63 NGC, Kongsberg mint. In terms of mintage figures and overall technical preservation, a giant within the late 19th-century Norwegian series, the 1878 standing as the undisputed key date for the kroner of Oscar II. Compared to the surrounding dates--1877 saw 1,000,000 pieces struck and 1879 saw 140,000--the scarcity of this year is instantly apparent, with even the next highest mintage date, 1888, seeing 15,000 more coins struck by comparison. Little care was shown to many of these pieces, with most surviving examples coming in VF or worse condition; indeed the next finest certified is an XF45. Even at VF35, however, the issue is still fiercely contested, a piece in that grade bringing $3995 in our January 2017 NYINC sale. With the offering ranking a full head-and-shoulders above the rest, we can only anticipate the flurry of bidding it will garner." In 1907, Norway obtained a divorce from Sweden and became an independent kingdom under a Danish prince. Even before passing under Swedish rule in 1814, Norway had enjoyed a separate coinage from Denmark. The specimen shown here is from of a type struck 1877-1900 and was accompanied by a silver fifty ore and two kroner of similar design. Many dates are very scarce.
Recorded mintage: 60,000, the key date.
Specification: 7.50 g, 0.800 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM 357, ABH-32, Sieg-58.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage Auction 3089: NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum & Signature Auction - Dallas, featuring the Cape Coral Collection of European Crowns and the Penn Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2020.
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