1/2 Penning

Struck under Sigurd Jorsalfar, whose reign coincided with his return from the First Crusade — the only Scandinavian king to complete the journey to Jerusalem — Norwegian coinage of this period was produced at a handful of mints operating with minimal central oversight. Output was irregular, dies were hand-cut, and weight standards drifted considerably even within a single reign.

Skaare 83 is among the thinner and more debased issues of the type, reflecting the broader debasement trend that would accelerate through the twelfth century.