Iceland: Krona

Iceland is a Nordic European island country situated at the confluence of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík, with the surrounding areas in the southwestern region of the country being home to two-thirds of the country's population. The nation's capital is the most northern capital in the world. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterized by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands.

100 Aurar = 1 króna


The landvættir (“land wights”) decorate the obverse (front) of the Icelandic króna coins, but animals of the ocean (fish, crabs and dolphins) appear on the reverse (back).

1 Krona

Years: 1989-2011

Metal: Nickel-plated Steel

Weight: 4 gm

Diameter: 21.5 mm

Thickness: 1.7 mm

Obverse: Denomination in words, "Landvættir" in circle.  Landvættir ("land wights") are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and in Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a corner of a field, or as large as a section of a country.

Reverse: Codfish along with the denomination value.

Atlantic Cod fish

Cod is popular as a food with a mild flavour and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Young Atlantic cod or haddock prepared in strips for cooking is called scrod. In the United Kingdom, Atlantic cod is one of the most common ingredients in fish and chips, along with haddock and plaice. It is also frequently consumed in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France and Brazil. Cod flesh is moist and flaky when cooked and is white in colour.

Click here to know more about Cod.
Click here to know more about Iceland.

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10 Kronur 

Years: 1996-2008

Metal: Nickel-plated Steel

Weight: 7 gm

Diameter: 27.5 mm

Thickness: 1.78 mm

Obverse: Central circle divided into four parts.The four parts (Dragon = East, Bird = North, Bull = West, Rock Giant = South) depict the symbols of guardian spirits used in the Seal of Iceland.

Reverse: Four Capelin fishes swimming left and the denomination value above.

Caplin Fish

The capelin or caplin, Mallotus villosus, is a small forage fish of the smelt family found in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In summer, it grazes on dense swarms of plankton at the edge of the ice shelf. Larger capelin also eat a great deal of krill and other crustaceans. Whales, seals, cod, squid, mackerel, beluga whales and seabirds all prey on capelin, in particular during the spawning season of the capelin while it migrates southwards. Capelin spawn on sandy beaches and sandy bottom at the age of 2–6 years, and have an extremely high mortality rate on the beaches after spawning, for males close to 100% mortality.[clarification needed] Males reach 20 cm in length, while females are up to 25 cm long. They are olive-colored dorsally, shading to silver on sides. Males have a translucent ridge on both sides of their bodies. The ventral aspects of the males iridesce reddish at the time of spawn.

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Coat of Arms of Iceland

The supporters are the four protectors of Iceland (landvættir) standing on a pahoehoe lava block. The bull (Griðungur) is the protector of southwestern Iceland, the eagle or griffin (Gammur) protects northwestern Iceland, the dragon (Dreki) the northeastern part and the Rock-giant (Bergrisi) is the protector of southeastern Iceland. Great respect was given to these creatures of Iceland, so much that there was a law during the time of the Vikings that no ship should bear grimacing symbols (most often dragonheads on the bow of the ship) when approaching Iceland. This was so the protectors would not be provoked unnecessarily.

Click here to know story about these guardian symbols.

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100 Kronur 

Years: 1995-2011

Metal: Nickel-brass

Weight: 8.5 gm

Diameter: 25.5 mm

Thickness: 2.25 mm

Obverse: Central circle divided into four parts. The four parts (Dragon = East, Bird = North, Bull = West, Rock Giant = South) depict the "Landvættir" guardian spirits used in the Seal of Iceland.

Reverse: Lumpsucker fish swimming to left and the denomonation value below.

Toad and Pacific Spiny Lumpsuckers Demonstrating Adhesive Pelvic Discs

Lumpsuckers or lumpfish are marine fish of the family Cyclopteridae.The family name Cyclopteridae derives from the Greek words κύκλος (kyklos), meaning "circle", and πτέρυξ (pteryx), meaning "wing" or "fin", in reference to the circle-shaped pectoral fins of this fish.

They are found in the cold waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, and North Pacific oceans. The greatest number of species are found in the North Pacific.

The "sucker" part refers to the fish's modified pelvic fins, which have evolved into adhesive discs (located ventrally, behind the pectoral fins); the fish use these discs to adhere to the substrate.

Lumpsuckers are thickset, short-bodied, scaleless fish with skins that are either smooth or studded with bony tubercles. They are at less than 3 inches long, these bizarre fish are the size of a baby carrot.

Lumpsuckers are carnivorous, slow-moving fish. A notable species is Cyclopterus lumpus, known in Europe as sea hen or hen fish because the male guards and cares for the eggs, without eating, until they hatch in about six or seven weeks. It is a large lumpsucker and attains a maximum length and weight of about 60 centimetres (2 feet) and 5 to 6 kilograms (11–13 pounds).

Click here to know more about Lumpfish.

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Here are all coins together to get the idea of their sizes.

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