Norges Bank will put a new 1-krone coin into circulation on Monday 15 September 1997. The new 1-krone coin is struck in cupro-nickel, as is the existing 1-krone coin. However, the new coin is smaller than the existing one, and has been designed with a hole in the middle.

The Chief Cashier in Norges Bank, Sylvi Johansen, emphasises that the new coin will remove any possibility of confusion between 10-krone and 1-krone coins, which has proved to be a problem with the old 1-krone coin.

She adds: "And when the new 5-krone coin is issued in 1999, which will also have a hole in the middle, we will have a new and harmonious Norwegian coin series that we hope the public will appreciate".

When designing the new coin series, Norges Bank consulted the Consumer Council, the Norwegian Association of the Blind and the Norwegian Pensioners' Association, which all strongly recommended that the alternative including a hole was used for the 1-krone and 5-krone coins.

The new 1-krone coin was designed by the Royal Norwegian Mint's designer, Ingrid Austlid Rise. The obverse of the coin bears a cross formed from H.M. King Harald V's crowned monogram. A middle area is delimited by a circle running between the crowns and the letters in the monogram. The legend at the bottom of the coin reads NORGE, flanked by the crossed-pick-and-hammer mintmark of the Royal Norwegian Mint and the Director of the Mint's initials, JEJ (Jan Erik Johansen).

The motif on the reverse of the coin is a bird sitting on a branch. The motif is a free copy of the carving on the portal of Hylestad Stave Church, Setesdal. The mint year and denomination 1 KRONE are struck under the motif and to the right of the branch, the artist's initials, IAR (Ingrid Austlid Rise).

The coin has a 21mm diameter, weighs 4.32gr, is 1.7mm thick and has a smooth edge.

The old 1-krone coin will cease to be legal tender on 15 September 1998. Norges Bank will redeem old coins until 15 September 2008.

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Norges Bank will put a new 100-krone note into circulation on Monday 15 September 1997. The note is red and has a portrait of the opera singer, Kirsten Flagstad, on the obverse. The 100-krone note is the third note to be issued in Norges Bank's new banknote series (Series VII). The first was the 200-krone banknote which was issued in 1994. The second note, the 50-krone note, entered into circulation in January this year.

Two notes therefore remain before Series VII is complete. According to plans, the new 500-krone note will be issued in 1999, whereas the new 1000-krone note will be issued within the next two to three years.

All the banknotes in the new series have different colours and sizes. The notes increase by 8mm in width and 5mm in height for each denomination, in order to comply with a request from the blind and visually-impaired that the notes should have clearly different sizes.

Science and culture

When choosing the portrait of an historical person for our banknotes, Norges Bank's banknote committee chooses from men and women who have made their mark in the areas of natural sciences, industrial development, music, folklore, fine art, literature, architecture or theatre. The physicist, Kristian Birkeland, was portrayed on the 200-krone note, whereas Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, the collector of Norwegian fairytales, was chosen for the 50-krone note. The committee has chosen Norway's most prominent opera singer in history, Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962), for the portrait on the obverse of the new 100-krone banknote.

Kirsten Flagstad was born in Hamar. The house where she was born now houses the Kirsten Flagstad Commemorative Collection. Norges Bank has chosen to present the new 100-krone note to the press on Thursday in the room where the artist was born 102 years ago. Kirsten Flagstad made her debut in 1913 which was followed by great success as an international opera singer, particularly at the Metropolitan in New York from 1934-1941 and 1951-1952. Her final performance as an opera singer was held in Oslo in 1953. In 1958, she became the first director of Den Norske Opera (the Norwegian Opera) in Oslo.

The motifs on both sides of the new 100-krone note are associated with the singer and opera. The obverse of the note was designed by Norges Bank's Chief Graphic Designer, Sverre Morken. The main motif is a portrait of the young Kirsten Flagstad. The background is an illustration of the main auditorium of Den Norske Opera and a rosette based on the pattern from a special silver brooch that the singer wore on stage. One of her many embroideries is used for the vignette in the area containing the watermarks.

The reverse of the note was designed by Deputy Graphic Designer, Arild Yttri, and is based on a ground plan of Den Norske Opera's main auditorium from 1959.

Is the banknote genuine?

There are a number of security features included in the new 100-krone note which makes it difficult to counterfeit. When held up to the light, it is easy to see the watermarks and security thread, and the geometric register mark on the obverse and reverse of the note converge to become a complete, symmetrical pattern. If the note is held diagonally to the light, an ?invisible' letter N emerges in the rosette on the obverse. When the note is photocopied, the moiré pattern on the reverse becomes distorted and the microlettering which is printed in several places on the note becomes unreadable. In addition, there are other security features which can only be seen under ultraviolet light, such as the fluorescent print and fibres.

Old banknotes redeemable for 10 years

The old 100-krone note bearing a portrait of Camilla Collett will cease to be legal tender on 15 September 1998. However, Norges Bank will redeem the 100-krone notes in Series VI for a further ten years until 15 September 2008.