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25 Øre Kings Bay Coal Company
| Issuer | Kings Bay Kull Comp. A/S |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947-1964 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Krone (1875-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set over a fine guilloche underprint incorporating a large ghost numeral '25' as a central vignette. The issuer's name 'KINGS BAY KULL COMP. A/S' appears in bold uppercase letters at upper centre, preceded by the heading 'Betalingsmerke utstedt av', with the denomination '25 - Femogtyve øre' rendered in large bold type at mid-centre. A series letter and serial number are positioned at upper left and right respectively, while two facsimile signatures above their printed titles 'Styrets formann' and 'Kontorsjef, Spitsbergen' occupy the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed on plain cream-white paper without underprint or border, bearing only the denomination '25 ØRE' in a single large bold serif typeface centred within the field. |
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| Comments |
Kings Bay Kull Comp. A/S operated the Norwegian coal mining settlement at Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard, and issued its own scrip currency for use within that closed community — the nearest conventional bank being, quite literally, hundreds of miles away across the Barents Sea. These notes functioned as a company store currency, redeemable only within the settlement, which kept wages circulating back through company-controlled goods and services rather than bleeding out to the mainland economy.
The "r" suffix on the Pick reference denotes a remainder — unissued stock — which is the form most commonly encountered today. The 1962 Kings Bay mining disaster, which killed 21 workers and effectively ended coal operations at Ny-Ålesund, almost certainly curtailed further issue and left surplus notes unspent.