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5 Kroner Great Norwegian Spitsbergen Coal Company
| Issuer | Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap |
|---|---|
| Year | 1978 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Kroner |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The entire field is covered by a dense typographic underprint formed by the continuous repetition of the issuer name "STORENORSKESPITSBERGENKULKOMPANI" in tight horizontal rows, serving simultaneously as background security pattern and principal design element. Centred in letterpress type, the denomination "FEM KRONER" in large bold capitals is flanked by the numeral "5" on each side, with the full issuer name in a prominent serif typeface above; series designation and year "(1978)" appear at upper left, with the serial number at upper right. Two manuscript signatures appear at lower centre above their respective titles "Styrets formann" and "Kontorsjef Spitsbergen". |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 5 «Not valid outside Spitsbergen.» 5 |
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| Comments |
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani — commonly abbreviated SNSK — operated a company town economy at Longyearbyen under Norwegian state majority ownership, and these kroner tokens functioned as internal scrip rather than legal tender. The 1978 series replaced earlier issues as the company modernized its coal operations on Svalbard, where the unique legal status of the archipelago under the 1920 Spitsbergen Treaty complicated any use of standard Norwegian currency in day-to-day company transactions.
Company scrip from isolated Arctic mining settlements rarely survives in quantity; much was redeemed, lost, or simply discarded when the token economy wound down.