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25 Øre Great Norwegian Spitsbergen Coal Company
| Issuer | Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938-1942 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 25 Øre |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Purple letterpress note on a fine guilloche-patterned ground covering the entire field. The issuer's name, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap, is set in bold uppercase across the centre, above the denomination numeral '25' rendered as a large underprint in pale violet. The full terms of use and validity conditions are printed in smaller type in Norwegian, with series designation 'Serie X' at upper left and a numbered box at upper right; two manuscript signatures appear at the foot below the printed titles 'Styrets formann' and 'Kontorsjef, Spitsbergen'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 25øre |
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| Comments |
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani was a coal-mining operation on Svalbard, not a bank — yet it issued its own scrip currency for use within its mining settlements at Longyearbyen, where no conventional banking infrastructure existed. This was company town money in the strictest sense: the notes were only redeemable at the company store and had no value outside the archipelago.
The SN9r designation indicates a remainder — unissued stock that survived without being put into circulation, likely because the German occupation of Svalbard in 1941 disrupted normal operations and eventually forced the evacuation of Norwegian civilian personnel entirely.