100 Krónur

Iceland's shift to nickel brass for this denomination in the early 1990s came after decades of aluminum and bronze experiments, driven partly by vending machine compatibility standards being harmonized across Scandinavian markets. The alloy was chosen as much by engineers as by the Central Bank.

The series ran through 2011 without a design change — unusual longevity for a high-denomination circulating coin in a country that periodically debated adopting the euro, a question that grew considerably louder after the 2008 banking collapse nearly destroyed the króna entirely.