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5 Kroner Great Norwegian Spitsbergen Coal Company
| Issuer | Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap |
|---|---|
| Year | 1978 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Krone (1875-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Betalingsmerke for tilgodehavende lønn, utstedt av Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap 5 FEM KRONER 5 Merket er ugyldig utenfor Spitsbergen. Ubenyttede betalingsmerker blir ved ihendehaverens avreise fra Spitsbergen å tilbakelevere til kontoret mot beløpets godskrivning i lønnsoppgjør. Selskapets innløsningsplikt bortfaller etter nærmere kunngjøring på Spitsbergen. Styrets formann Kontorsjef Spitsbergen (Translation: Payment note issued by The Great Norwegian Spitsbergen Coal Company for due wages 5 kroner The note is invalid outside Spitsbergen. Unused payment notes must be returned upon the holder`s departure from Spitsbergen to the office against the amount being credited on the payroll. The company`s obligation ceases after further announcement on Spitsbergen. Chairman of the board. Office manager, Spitsbergen.) |
| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the same dense typographic underprint of the continuous issuer name "STORENORSKESPITSBERGENKULKOMPANI" in tight horizontal rows across the entire field, with no pictorial vignette or guilloche work. The numeral "5" is printed in large bold type at each of the four corners. A single bold inscription in quotation marks is centred at lower middle, stating the note's geographic restriction in English. |
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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.