Until 2026, Norges Bank issued special-edition circulation coins to mark major national and historical events, as well as individuals, organisations, and institutions that have been of great importance to the country. Special-edition circulation coins are issued as standard circulation coins, but with a special design on one or both sides.

The historical role of coins, along with their prevalence and position, has historically made them powerful symbols of state authority; they have therefore, over the years, been regarded as suitable for representing the values of the state. Over time, however, the issuance of coins has undergone changes in which responsibility has gradually shifted from the political authorities to Norges Bank, which now holds it exclusively. Commemorative coin issues have thus become detached from the political authorities that originally sought such commemorations.

Special-edition circulation coins were seen as visible and well-suited for marking important events, as they are publicly available and have a larger mintage than commemorative coins in precious metal. However, interest in commemorative coin issues has waned, and it has become more challenging and labour-intensive to both involve other stakeholders associated with the event in question and generate interest in the issue itself. There was also reason to believe that this would become even more challenging, and that future issues would increasingly risk being associated with Norges Bank as an institution, rather than with a national commemoration.

Today, only a small proportion of payments are made in cash, and coins have become steadily less significant and less visible. Due to low demand for coins, no coins other than special-edition circulation coins have been produced in the period 2017 to 2025. This low demand has also made it more difficult to put special-edition circulation coins into circulation. This means that the rationale for using circulation coins to commemorate events and individuals has lost much of its relevance.

Against this background, Norges Bank’s Executive Board decided in March 2026 that Norges Bank should cease issuing special-edition circulation coins.

Relevant events and the issue of commemorative coins in the period 2020 to 2025

In 2018, based on the guidelines for issuing commemorative coins in effect at the time, Norges Bank compiled a list of events that could be commemorated with a coin.  The list was compiled with the assistance of an advisory committee with special expertise in numismatic history, national history, and constitutional matters.

The committee assessed a wide range of commemorative dates and anniversaries and, against this background, compiled a list of events considered to meet the criteria for commemorative coin issues. The list was then submitted for consultation to the relevant consultation bodies, and the responses were assessed by the advisory committee and Norges Bank.

Subsequently, Norges Bank decided that the events listed below could be marked with a commemorative coin during the period 2020 to 2029. The events on the list were divided into four groups according to their significance.

Of these events, all those in Group I and the first event in Group II (Hans Nielsen Hauge’s 250th anniversary) were marked with a commemorative coin before Norges Bank’s Executive Board decided to cease issuing special-edition commemorative coins.

Group I

Anne-Cath Vestly 100th anniversary (2020)

The Norwegian Mapping Authority 250th anniversary (2023)

Magnus VI Lagabøte’s national legal code 750th anniversary (2024)

Group II

Hans Nielsen Hauge 250th anniversary (2021)

Sigrid Undset awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 100th anniversary (2028)

Group III

Norway’s first savings bank 200th anniversary (2022)

Founding of Bergen Museum 200th anniversary (2025)

The Metre Convention 150th anniversary (2025)

Statistics Norway 150th anniversary (2026)

Group IV

The Rural Public School Act 200th anniversary (2027)

Ellen Gleditsch 150th anniversary (2029)