Oslo museum identifies rare Olaf Haraldsson coin in Rena hoard

The Mørstad Hoard, discovered in April by metal detectorists Vegard Sørlie and Rune Sætre in the village of Rena, is the largest collection of Viking Age coins ever found in Norway. The Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo announced in October that a specific piece from this cache has been identified as a rare coin from the reign of Olaf Haraldsson. The artifact was initially cataloged as Anglo-Saxon due to its similarity to pennies issued by King Æthelred II, who ruled England between 978 and 1016.

Archaeologist Anne Skogsfjord made the identification while reviewing the hoard's inventory. She observed that the inscription suggested a date later than the other Anglo-Saxon pieces. The text ONLAF R+ NORMANORV, which translates to Olaf, King of the Norwegians, confirmed the coin's origin. Skogsfjord described the realization as the discovery of a national treasure. The coin is estimated to have been minted between 1024 and 1028, near the end of the Viking Age.

The coin features a left-facing bust of Olaf Haraldsson wearing a conical battle helmet on one side. The reverse displays a cross on three steps, a design inspired by Byzantine coinage. Numismatics Professor Svein H. Gullbekk stated that the design was modeled on Anglo-Saxon pennies minted during the reign of Cnut the Great from 1024 to 1030. Gullbekk suggested that Olaf Haraldsson may have decided the design and could have held the specific coin himself.

Fewer than twenty coins from Olaf Haraldsson’s reign have survived, with most found outside of Norway. Only four coins of this specific type have ever been located. The previous find in Norway occurred in 1924 during the restoration of church ruins at Stein. Gullbekk characterized the discovery as a Christianisation coin on a grand scale, illustrating how the king used coinage to legitimize the new faith. Olaf Haraldsson, also known as Saint Olaf, ruled Norway from 1015 to 1028 and was canonized in 1030.

Small cuts on both sides of the coin, likely made with a knife, indicate use in commercial transactions. Associate Professor Florent Audy explained that these marks were used to test the silver content during payments. This suggests the coin changed hands multiple times during the roughly two decades between its production and its burial in the hoard. Hanna Geiran, Director General of Norway’s Cultural Heritage Directorate, called the find extraordinary and a tangible testament to the establishment of the Norwegian kingdom and its Christianisation.

The coin will be displayed at Norway’s Historical Museum as part of an exhibition on the Mørstad Hoard. The exhibition opens on November 20, 2026.