Norway

Norway new 1,000-krone note confirmed introduced 14.11.2019

According to a press release, the Norges Bank has introduced the new 1,000-krone note on 14 November 2019. This completes the new series of notes from Norway.

Norway_NB_1000_kroner_2019.00.00_B661a_P57_4201199734_fNorway_NB_1000_kroner_2019.00.00_B661a_P57_4201199734_r

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen.

Norway new 500-krone note confirmed introduced 18.10.2018

According to the Norges Bank, the new 500-krone note was introduced on 18 October 2018. The preceding issue will circulate in parallel for one year before being withdrawn.


Orange. Front: Norwegian text; SPARK Orbital rectangle; Colin Archer’s rescue vessel, RS 14 “Stavanger;” Atlantic puffin. Back: Norwegian text; oil platform on the horizon (pixel motif); 13.9 metres per second (cubic pattern); high wind with sea heaps up, white foam from breaking waves (organic pattern); North Sea gas pipeline network; ammonite fossil shell. Windowed security thread with holographic anchor chain and solid security thread with demetalized NB 500. Watermark: Atlantic puffin head in profile with electrotype 500. Printer: (Oberthur Technologies). 147 x 70 mm.
a. 2018. Sig. Øystein Olsen/Leif Veggum. Intro: 18.10.2018.

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen and Franciso Alcover.

Norway new 50-krone note confirmed introduced 18.10.2018

According to the Norges Bank, the new 50-krone note was introduced on 18 October 2018. The preceding issue will circulate in parallel for one year before being withdrawn.


Green. Front: Norwegian text; SPARK Orbital rectangle; seagull in flight; Utvær lighthouse in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway’s westernmost point. Back: Norwegian text; lighthouse on the horizon (pixel motif); 1.6 metres per second (cubic pattern); light breeze and gentle waves (organic pattern); Ursa Major constellation; nautical chart showing the classification of lighthouses. Windowed security thread with holographic anchor chain and solid security thread with demetalized NB 50. Watermark: Atlantic puffin head in profile with electrotype 50. Printer: (Oberthur Technologies). 126 x 70 mm.
a. 2018. Sig. Øystein Olsen/Leif Veggum. Intro: 18.10.2018.

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen and Francisco Alcover.

Norway new 100- and 200-krone notes confirmed

Norway_NB_100_kroner_2016.00.00_B658a_PNL_9202040160_fNorway_NB_100_kroner_2016.00.00_B658a_PNL_9202040160_r

Norway_NB_200_kroner_2016.00.00_B659a_PNL_3201763708_fNorway_NB_200_kroner_2016.00.00_B659a_PNL_3201763708_r

Courtesy of Håkon Meidell-Pritzier Hagelund and Kjell Riibe (www.riibe.com).

Norway new date (2015) 50-krone note confirmed

Norway_NB_50_kroner_2015.00.00_B652e_P46_C_301191739_f
Norway_NB_50_kroner_2015.00.00_B652e_P46_C_301191739_r
Like P46, but new date (2015).

Courtesy of Janus Juraschek.

Norway new sig/date (2014) 100-krone note confirmed

Norway_NB_100_kroner_2014.00.00_B653f_P49_C_501546955_f
Norway_NB_100_kroner_2014.00.00_B653f_P49_C_501546955_r
Like P49, but new signatures (Øystein Olsen and Trond Eklund) and new date (2014).

Norway new date (2015) 500-krone note confirmed

Norway_NB_500_kroner_2015.00.00_B655g_P51_F_402078653_fNorway_NB_500_kroner_2015.00.00_B655g_P51_F_402078653_r
Like P51, but new date (2015).

Courtesy of Marius Rosca (IBNS 11437).


Norway new note family unveiled; intro reported for mid-2017

Norges Bank has unveiled the designs of the new note series, the first two denominations (100 and 200 kroner) of which will be introduced on 30 May 2017.

Norway_NB_50_kroner_2016.00.00_B657a_PNL_A_120705031_fNorway_NB_50_kroner_2016.00.00_B657a_PNL_A_120705031_rNorway_NB_100_kroner_2016.00.00_B658a_PNL_1811612345_fNorway_NB_100_kroner_2016.00.00_B658a_PNL_1811612345_rNorway_NB_200_kroner_2016.00.00_B659a_PNL_8101109237_fNorway_NB_200_kroner_2016.00.00_B659a_PNL_8101109237_rNorway_NB_500_kroner_2016.00.00_B660a_PNL_A_120705031_fNorway_NB_500_kroner_2016.00.00_B660a_PNL_A_120705031_rNorway_NB_1000_kroner_2016.00.00_B661a_PNL_A_120705031_fNorway_NB_1000_kroner_2016.00.00_B661a_PNL_A_120705031_r

Courtesy of Cleo Has.

Norway new date (2014) 200-krone note confirmed

Norway_NB_200_kroner_2014.00.00_B654g_P50_A_303128264_f
Norway_NB_200_kroner_2014.00.00_B654g_P50_A_303128264_r
Like P50, but new date (2014).

Courtesy of Stefaan Rombaut.

Norway unveils designs of new "The Sea" note family

On 7 October 2014, Norges Bank (Norway’s central bank) presented the results of its ongoing banknote competition. The new theme will be “The Sea.” A press release revealed the proposed design for the 100-kroner note. The first notes from the new series are not expected to be issued until 2017 at the earliest.

Subsequently on 3 February 2015,
Norges Bank unveiled the designs for the remaining denominations. The fronts of the notes will be developed on the basis of the proposal from The Metric System and Terje Tønnessen. The backs of the notes will be the pixel motifs submitted by Snøhetta Design. Please note that the designs of the finished notes may deviate somewhat from the competition proposals as shown below.

On each obverse side, the designer has placed a signal flag from the maritime alphabet. The flags represent the letters N, O, R, G and E and therefore spell either NORGE or NOREG (not in order by denomination).

The cubic patterns on the reverse side represent pixels and mosaics. The patterns depict the coast, the horizon and the motif. The organic pattern is an abstraction of the sea. Both the cubic and organic patterns follow the Beaufort scale as an expression of wind speed. This affects the waves in the sea. On the lowest denomination note, the wind is light, and there are short cubic forms and long, gentle waves in the organic pattern. On the highest denomination note, the wind is strong and creates elongated rectangular forms and short waves.

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Motif: Utvær Lighthouse in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway's westernmost point. Signal flag: Letter R.

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Pixel motif on the horizon: Lighthouse on the horizon. Cubic pattern: 1.6 metres per second (m/s). Organic pattern: Light breeze, gentle waves.


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Motif: The Gokstad ship from the 800s, with the Norwegian-designed X-Bow hull developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS in the background. Signal flag: Letter O.


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Pixel motif on the horizon: Cargo ship. Cubic pattern: 3.4 m/s. Organic pattern: Gentle breeze. Crests begin to break.



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Motif: Cod and herring. The background drawing shows mesh from a fishing net. Signal flag: Letter N.


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Pixel motif on the horizon: Fishing boat. Cubic pattern: 8 m/s. Organic pattern: Fresh breeze. Wave heights of 1 m or more.



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Colin Archer, boat design. Anders Beer Wilse, photographer. Linn Krogh Hansen, photographer.


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Pixel motif on the horizon: Oil platform. Cubic pattern: 13.9 m/s. Organic pattern: High wind. Sea heaps up, white foam from breaking waves.



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Motif: Wave in the sea. Signal flag: Letter E.


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Pixel motif: Horizon. Cubic pattern: 20.8 m/s. Organic pattern: Strong gale. High waves. Dense foam is blown along wind direction.

Courtesy of Josema Peso.


Norway announced "The Sea" will be theme of new notes

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On 7 October 2014, Norges Bank (Norway’s central bank) presented the results of its ongoing banknote competition. The new theme will be “The Sea.” A press release revealed the proposed design for the 100-kroner note. The first notes from the new series are not expected to be issued until 2017 at the earliest.

Courtesy of Marcus Jansson and Håkon Meidell-Pritzier Hagelund.

Norway new sig/date (2013) 200-krone note confirmed

Norway_NB_200_kroner_2013.00.00_P50_A_101551101_sig
200 kroner, 2013. Like P50, but new date and signatures (Øystein Olsen / Trond Eklund).

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen.

Norway's new notes to feature "The Sea" theme

According to a press release dated 30 November 2013, "The new banknote series will feature the sea as the theme, reflecting its importance for Norway's business sector and economic prosperity.

Norges Bank started work on the new banknote series in autumn 2012. This will be the eighth series. There is a need to enhance banknote security to ensure that current and future Norwegian banknotes are resistant to counterfeiting. The work is well underway and a number of important decisions concerning the new series were made by Norges Bank's Executive Board in the fourth quarter of 2013. The theme, denomination breakdown, material, colours, language and size of the notes have now been decided.

"Finding a theme for the new banknote series has been an extensive and exciting process, with a creative input of ideas from various contributors," says Trond Eklund, Director of Norges Bank's Cashier's Department.

Norges Bank has sought to find a theme that runs through the banknote denominations, binding them together into a banknote series. "The Sea" provides a virtually infinite array of visual possibilities. The theme will be reflected both on the obverse and reverse face of the notes, breaking with the tradition of portraiture.

"We have chosen a theme we consider to be original and particularly relevant for Norway, which is a small country but a major coastal nation. Norway has a total coastline of 83 000 km, the longest in Europe. The use of marine resources, combined with the use of the sea as a transport artery, has been crucial to the development of Norway's economy and society," says Eklund.

The current denomination breakdown of 50 – 100 – 200 – 500 – 1000 and the current main colours will be retained for the new series. All the notes, which will be printed on cotton paper, will be 70 mm in height, but the width will increase with each denomination by 7 mm. This means that the 50 krone note will be 126 mm wide, while the 1000 krone note will be 154 mm wide. The Bank's official name will continue to be written in Norway's two official written languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk, i.e. Norges Bank and Noregs Bank.

In order to attract as many creative and interesting design proposals as possible, Norges Bank is now in the process of launching a design competition. The competition will be run in two stages; first a pre-qualification competition and then the final competition between five to eight participants to select the winning design."

Courtesy of Håkon Meidell-Pritzier Hagelund, Stein Langørgen, Cleo Phas, and Fredrik Steen.

Norway new sig/date (2012) 500-kroner note confirmed

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500 kroner, 2012. Like P51, but new date and new signatures (Øystein Olsen & Trond Eklund).

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen.

Norway developing new banknote series

According to a Norges Bank press release dated 4 December 2012, Norges Bank has started on a project to develop a new banknote series. This will be the eighth series of krone-denominated banknotes. There is a need to enhance the security of Norwegian banknotes so that they will continue to be hard to counterfeit.

Why is Norges Bank going to replace Norwegian banknotes?
As the central bank, Norges Bank bears the responsibility that Norwegian banknotes function effectively as means of payment and have adequate functionality and that the general public has confidence that the notes they use are genuine. This means, for example, that genuine banknotes should be easy to identify. Norwegian banknotes must therefore have security features that are sufficient to deter counterfeiting.

The likelihood of Norwegian banknotes being counterfeited may be reduced by ensuring that the notes' security features are not inferior to those on comparable countries' banknotes. A number of countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Switzerland and the Euro countries, have introduced or are about to introduce new banknote series with enhanced security. This requires an enhancement of the security features on Norwegian banknotes too. And because developing a new banknote series takes time, work to develop a new series needs to begin now.

Moreover, it has been nearly 20 years since the appearance of first banknote in the current series (the 200-krone note). Norges Bank has already upgraded this series once, and has concluded that further upgrades of the existing banknote series would be impractical.

When will the new banknotes be introduced?
Developing a new banknote series is a complicated and demanding project that poses considerable challenges and various types of risk at all stages. Experience from other countries that have introduced or are about to introduce new banknotes suggests that it takes several years from the time work commences until the notes are placed into circulation.

Why does it take so long to create a new banknote series?
First, Norges Bank will select a theme for the new banknote series. For this effort, the Bank will solicit advice from outside. Once the theme has been approved, the Bank will choose the main elements of the banknotes' design. It may be appropriate to invite one or more artists to propose motifs.

Then the work begins to select security elements and the type of paper. The design components and look of a banknote have a close bearing on the work on security elements. It is a demanding task to place the security elements in a way that makes the banknote aesthetically pleasing, yet meets all technical requirements. At this stage, external stakeholders, such as banks, retail trade and organisations for the blind and visually impaired will be involved to ensure that their needs are addressed.

The banknotes are also supposed to function in vending machines and ATMs, and will be available for testing in sufficient time before being placed into circulation. Introducing new banknotes and withdrawing old ones also requires an extensive information campaign targeting banks, retail outlets and the general public. All these factors help to make the work on a new banknote series a protracted process.

Who decides that we will be getting new banknotes and what they will look like?
It is Norges Bank that has decided that work will begin on a new banknote series (cf. Section 13 of the Norges Bank Act). It is also the central bank that will approve the theme, motifs, format, colours and range of denominations. The Ministry of Finance will be kept informed, as it states in the Norges Bank Act: "Before the Bank makes any decision of special importance, the matter shall be submitted to the ministry." Since approval of a new banknote series is a decision of special importance, the matter will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

Do we even need banknotes now that most people pay with a card?
Banknotes are and will continue to be an important part of the infrastructure of the payment system, and the quantity of cash in circulation has remained at around the same level in recent years. In other words, there is still a need for banknotes.

It is also the Bank's experience that whenever electronic payment systems do not function, or there are fears that these systems will cease to function, the general public increases its demand for cash. Thus, cash serves as a backup.

Will there be a change in the denominations of banknotes?
Norges Bank is responsible for ensuring an appropriate range of denominations. An assessment of which denominations to include in the new series is a part of the project.

Will Norges Bank also be introducing new coins?
Norges Bank has no plans to make changes to the current coin series. But in connection with development of a new banknote series and the range of denominations, the Bank will considerer whether the 50-krone note should be replaced with a coin.

What will happen to current banknotes?
From the date new notes are introduced, Norges Bank will approve the withdrawal of existing notes from circulation. This is authorised by Section 15 of the Norges Bank. A decision to withdraw banknotes will be announced in the Norwegian Legal Gazette (Norsk Lovtidend) and Norway's largest newspapers.

Following the announcement, the notes will continue to be legal tender and may be used in the ordinary manner for one year. After that, Norges Bank is obliged to redeem them for an additional ten years.

Courtesy of Phil Martin.

Norway 1977-1998 notes demonetized

Norges Bank has announced that the notes dated 1977-1998 (Pick 41-P45) were demonetized as 1 November 2012.

Courtesy of Sune Persson.

Norway new sig/date (2011) 50-kroner note confirmed

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50 kroner (US$8.70), 2011. Like P46, but new date and signatures (Øystein Olsen / Trond Eklund).

Courtesy of Håkon Meidell-Pritzier Hagelund.

Norway new date (2010) 100-krone note confirmed

100 kroner (US$17), 2010. Like P49, but new date and prefix letter before serial number.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Norway emergency banknotes of the 1980s

Here’s an interesting article about Norway’s secret stash of emergency banknotes which were printed in the 1980s, but eventually destroyed.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norway appoints new governor to central bank


According to a Ministry of Finance press release dated 22 October 2010, Øystein Olsen has been appointed the new governor of Norges Bank for a six-year term beginning on 1 January 2011. New signature varieties are likely to follow.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norway new date (2008) 500-krone note confirmed


500 kroner (US$84.50), 2008. Like P51, but new date.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norway new date (2009) 200-krone note confirmed

200 kroner (US$32.35), 2009. Like Pick 50, but new date. This is the first 200-kroner note printed outside of Norway, either by De La Rue or Oberthur. Nothing has changed except that there is now a letter prefix before the serial number.

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen.

Norway scans needed for catalog

I am working on a new catalog of world notes and I need all the help I can get. If you have any of the notes listed below, please email 300-dpi, 100% actual size, 24-bit color scans of the front and back of these notes, saved as uncompressed JPEG, BMP, or TIFF. Please download and follow these detailed scanning instructions.

I am looking for 300-dpi images of the following banknotes of Norway:

P1
P2
P3
P5
P6
P11
P12
P21
P22
P23
P24
P29

As a contributor, you will receive the satisfaction of taking part in creating something of excellence, your note will be immortalized as the plate note for the catalog, plus your name will appear in the Acknowledgements along with your email address or URL, if you wish.

Thanks in advance for everyone's cooperation!

Norway new date (2008) 50-krone note confirmed


50 kroner (US$7.75), 2008. Like P46, but new date.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norway 1995 test note confirmed


On 13 November 1995, Norges Bank printing works invited all the company’s families to a big Family Day and all the participants got this note as a gift, but it was soon withdrawn and destroyed because it was too similar to a real note. Everybody was asked to return them, but of course, some didn’t. Many notes were destroyed, and only a few survived. This is one of them. The watermark is NBS (same as NBS on the top right corner on the back) and it has a lot of other security details. Examine the pictures.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norwegian 50-krone notes printed abroad put into circulation

According to a press release dated 10 February 2010, “Since discontinuing operations at Norges Bank’s Printing Works in the summer of 2007, Norwegian banknotes have been produced by De La Rue International Limited in the UK and Oberthur Technologies in France. The first 50-krone (US$8.45) notes printed abroad will soon be put into circulation. The notes are virtually identical to current 50-krone notes, informed Trond Eklund, director of the Cashier’s Department. The only difference is that the serial number on the new notes has a letter before the number. This change will also apply to other note denominations as those are put into circulation. The next denomination printed abroad will be the 500-krone (US$84.50) note, which is scheduled to be put into circulation at the end of 2010.”

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Norway new date 200-, 500-, and 1,000-krone notes confirmed


200 kroner (US$33.20), 2006. Like P50, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).


500 kroner (US$92.10), 2005. Like P51, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).

1,000 kroner (US$184.20), 2004. Like P52, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).

Courtesy of Jan Ove.

Norway new date (2006) 100-krone note confirmed


100 kroner (US$18.20), 2006. Like P49, but new date.

Courtesy of Mirsad Delic.

Norway to outsource note printing in 2007

According to a November 28, 2006, article in the Norway Post, the Norges Bank will cease printing Norwegian banknotes in 2007. Central Bank director Harald Boehn says the bank is unable to produce notes as economically as printers abroad.

Norges Bank has entered into agreements for the delivery of notes with De La Rue in the UK and Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire in France. The contracts apply for the period 2007 – 2012. The first deliveries will probably be made in 2008.

Norges Bank expects to save in the order of NOK 10 million annually during the contract period. An expert on economic history, professor Francis Sejersted, questioned the decision to save “small sums” instead of continuing the tradition of producing the national symbols domestically.

In related news, security printer De La Rue announced interim pretax profits were up 59% on the strength of “exceptional” bank note printing volumes. DLR is involved in printing notes for 150 countries. For an excellent examination of how companies like De La Rue attempt to win over the business of central banks, I strongly suggest reading Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing.

Norway new date 50- and 200-krone notes confirmed


50 kroner (US$8.30), 2005. Like Pick 46, but new date (on back), new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director), wider security thread printed Norges Bank, and Omron rings on front.



200 kroner (US$33.20), 2004. Like Pick 50, but new date (last four digits of number in lower left on front), and new signatures.