50 Aurar

Iceland's 50 aurar of this period circulated during a stretch of significant cod wars tension — Iceland unilaterally extended its fishing exclusion zone to 50 nautical miles in 1972, triggering the third and most acrimonious confrontation with British trawlers. The economy these coins moved through was heavily fisheries-dependent, with fish products accounting for the vast majority of export revenue.

The nickel brass alloy was a practical compromise adopted by several small nations in this era to reduce minting costs without resorting to aluminium.