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| Issuer | Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap |
|---|---|
| Year | 1957 |
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| Currency | Krone (1875-date) |
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| Obverse description | Orange letterpress-printed wage payment note on plain paper, with an all-over guilloche-style basket-weave underprint in orange. The issuer's name 'Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap' is set in large bold type at centre, above the denomination '50 – Femti øre' in bold lettering, with a large orange '50øre' numeral vignette in the background. Series designation 'Serie Jj. (1957)' appears at upper left, a boxed serial number at upper right, and two manuscript signatures below the conditions text, captioned 'Styrets formann.' and 'Kontorsjef, Spitsbergen.' |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Betalingsmerke for tilgodehavende lønn, utstedt av Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani Aktieselskap 50 – Femti øre 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 50 øre 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.) |
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| Comments |
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani issued its own scrip currency for use exclusively within the company's mining settlements on Svalbard — a practical necessity given the archipelago's isolated economy and the absence of any conventional retail banking infrastructure on the island. These notes circulated in the company town of Longyearbyen, where the employer controlled housing, shops, and wages simultaneously.
The 1957 series replaced earlier wartime and immediate postwar issues. Norway had reclaimed Svalbard operations after German forces destroyed much of the infrastructure during the 1944 retreat, and the rebuilt settlement ran on company scrip well into the latter half of the twentieth century.