Norway's new notes all have a maritime theme

By Arthur L. Friedberg

Published: Dec 4, 2016, 5 AM

The Bank of Norway has completed the design of its new bank note series, and the first two denominations, 100- and 200-krone notes, will be released on May 30, 2017. The faces all have a theme evoking Norway’s maritime industry.

Original images courtesy of Bank of Norway.

The Bank of Norway will release new 100- and 200-krone notes in early 2017, both with designs that pay homage to Norway’s reliance on the sea.

Images courtesy of Bank of Norway.

The Bank of Norway (Norges Bank) has completed the design of its new bank note series, and the first two denominations, 100- and 200-krone notes, will be released on May 30, 2017. The faces all have a theme evoking Norway’s maritime industry.

For the 100-krone note it is “the sea that takes us out into the world,” represented by the Gokstad ship, Norway’s largest preserved Viking ship. It was built around 900 A.D. and was found in a burial mound in 1880. In the background is the outline of the bow of a modern Norwegian vessel. The back shows a cargo ship on the horizon with a breeze symbolized by cubic formations. A globe and parts of the constellation Orion are also visible.

The 200-krone note’s theme of “the sea that feeds us” has a cod as its main image with herring and mesh from a fishing net in the background. A fishing boat can vaguely be seen on the horizon in the pattern of the note’s back design. The cubic formations, symbolizing a fresh breeze, are longer than those on the 100-krone note.

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The bank notes are printed in France by Oberthur Fiduciaire. The cotton paper is made in Germany. The bank says it is paying approximately 0.55 krone, or 5½ cents, per note. This is about a 20 percent increase over past prices and is attributed to enhanced security features and a protective dirt-resistant coating that is expected to increase the lifetime of the notes by up to 50 percent. Norges Bank estimates is costs for developing the new series at 50 million kroner or about $5.83 million.

Among the “enhanced features” cited by the bank are intaglio printing, tactile markings for the blind, a floating ring in a color-changing rectangle, three segments of an anchor chain integrated into the paper that appear to move or run out when the note is tilted (on all but the 50-krone note), a watermark with the head of an Atlantic puffin, and a security thread. Thanks to the yellow rings on both sides, the notes cannot be scanned by image processing software; attempting to do so instead generates the message “This application does not support the editing of banknote images.”

The 50- and 500-krone notes are scheduled for issue on May 30, 2018, and the 1,000-krone issue will follow in the fourth quarter of 2019. The old notes will become invalid one year after their replacements are issued.

Complete information on the new note, including a series of five videos is at the bank’s website.