Dictionary

Bracteate of the bull-head-type: Bracteates and hohlpfennigs from Mecklenbug with a bull head as a motif. The bull head was taken from the Mecklenburg coat of arms. These coins were very common in the Nordic countries. As a result, some experts believe that they may also have been minted in these countries.
Bracteate sampler: A slab marked from the testing of bracteate dies.
Burnt silver: Silver with an average purity of 985 milligrams per gram, as was used for coin production. The term refers to the refining method. C.f. pure silver.
Coin engraver: A profession at a mint. The engraver was responsible for engraving dies used for striking coins. His mark or initials are often found, discreetly placed on the coin.
Conscripted fleet: In coastal areas there was originally a naval defence system based on the farmers' contributions of ships and men. In the course of the 1100s and the 1200s this system was replaced by an annual tax.
Coronation coin: The coronation coin for the crowning of Carl Johan in Trondheim on September 7, 1818. In keeping with an old tradition in Sweden, among other places, these coins were thrown to the crowds in the streets and public squares after the coronation ceremony.
Denomination: The value of an individual coin or note (for example 10-krone, 50-øre, 24-skilling). See also Monetary unit.
Die links: Die links refers to a situation where two coins have been struck with the same die on one side and different dies on the other. In this way, the side that is struck with the same die links the different dies that have been used for the opposite side.
Dirham: A dirham is an Arabic silver coin from about year 697, weighing approximately 3 grams. This is the coin most commonly found in Norwegian and Nordic finds from before the year 1000. In Norway more than 500 dirhams have been discovered in hoards and stray finds throughout the country.
Emergency issue: In times of crisis emergency issue is common, coins minted in substitute metal giving them a metal value far below their nominal value, or coins minted without the usual care, resulting in rather primitive coins.
Ertog: An ertog was a unit of weight in the old Norwegian system of weights. One ertog equals 10 pennies, 3 ertogs equals 1 øre and 24 ertogs equals one mark.
Fineness: The fineness indicates the content of precious metal in the coins. The fineness of silver coins was measured in marks, one mark being 16 lod. Gold coins were measured in marks of 24 carats. Today, fineness is measured in parts per thousand.
Florin: A gold coin first issued in Florence in 1252. The coin quickly became international currency and was copied by all major powers in Europe.
Granaille: Copper ore containing small amounts of silver, a by-product of silver mining. The silver content could reach 2-3%.
Gold standard: This indicates that a nation's coin and bank notes are backed by a gold reserve. In principle, notes can be exchanged for gold according to current rates. The Central Bank of Norway still has a gold reserve dating from the time when Norway had a gold standard. Its value is, of course, far from that of all the money circulating in the country today.
Gulden or guilder: Gulden or guilder is the term for a florin, florin copies and coins that succeeded the florin.; .
Heraldry: The study of armorial insignia and, in a broader sense, of public emblems, symbols and flags. Coins often bear heraldic motifs.
The Igelösa hoard: A hoard with approximately 2060 coins from the Viking Age, mostly Anglo-Saxon and German pennies. The hoard was found in 1924 at the cemetery at Igelösa in Skåne, southern Sweden. This find includes the best-preserved example of Olav Tryggvason's penny. The find is dated to just after 1005.
Interregnum: The time during which a throne is vacant and the country is ruled, for example, by a national council. In such periods the national council itself would issue coins or delegate this authority to others.
Klippen: Coins struck from square-shaped blanks. Klippen were typically minted in times of crisis and were therefore typically rather roughly made.
Krone: A Danish-Norwegian currency through the last half of the 1600s that had a lower value (measured in silver) than the preceding and contemporary species currency. This was also the name chosen for the Norwegian monetary system from 1875.
Kurant: A Danish-Norwegian currency from the end of the 1600s and through the 1700s. It had a lower value, measured in silver, than did the preceding and contemporary krone- and species currencies.
Letter bracteate: A number of medieval bracteates and hohlpfennig from Norway, Sweden and northern Germany had a letter of the alphabet as their primary motif. It has been suggested that the letter might indicate the mint site or the issuing authority, but there is no general agreement about their significance.
The Lübeck monetary system: The monetary system originating in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck was important in northern Europe in the late Middle Ages and into our more recent history. The system was based on the Cologne mark which was approximately 230 grams of silver (see mark).
Mark: An old unit of weight. In the Middle Ages a Norwegian mark was approximately 214 grams. The mark was divided in 8 øre, while 8 øre = 24 ertogs = 240 pennies. King Hans introduced the Cologne mark in Norway in the end of the 1400s. This mark weighed 230 grams. In this new monetary system, the Lübeck monetary system, the sub units were: 1 mark = 16 skillings = 192 pennies.
Mine month: At the silver mine at Kongsberg the year was divided into 13 mine months of 28 days each. This was a common arrangement at the mines.
Mint-master: The leading civil servant responsible for minting. The office was often hereditary. In this position there was ample opportunity to acquire illicit income through coining although this was, of course, strictly prohibited. In 1125, 94 English Mint-masters were mutilated by King Henry I for having succumbed to this temptation. In 1727, the Norwegian Mint-master Henrik Christofer Meyer was sentenced to death for having minted debased coins. In the Middle Ages the Mint-master was often also a goldsmith.

Mitre: The headdress of bishops in the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches.
Money of account: This refers to a monetary unit that is not actually coined, but is used in accounts and as a "bridge" between different types of money.; The designation of the unit by which the coin's value is given (for example krone, skilling, øre).
Numismatics: This word of Greek origin refers to the study of coins. The words numismatics and numismatist have broad definitions, which include the strictly scientific work carried out at universities and museums as well as the activities of coin collectors associations. A number of coin dealers in various countries are members of the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN).
Obol: A Greek monetary unit. The term was used for halfpennies in Latin texts from the Middle Ages.