1500 Kroner - Harald V 1994 Olympics - Roald Amundsen

Issued to commemorate the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, this gold piece honors Amundsen in a context that makes geographic sense: Norway was the first nation to place a man at both poles, and Lillehammer gave the country an occasion to mint prestige issues celebrating its most celebrated explorers. Amundsen reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, beating Scott's party by 34 days — a margin secured almost entirely by his decision to use dog sleds rather than motor sledges and ponies.

The .917 fineness matches traditional British sovereign alloy, a standard the Norwegian mint adopted for this Olympic series to ease international trading of the pieces.