Iceland 3 piece Coin Set 1 5 10 Kronur KM#27a 28a 29.1a XF

Iceland’s circulation coinage tells two stories at once. On one side: the mythology — the ancient guardian spirits who, according to Norse legend, turned back invaders and still appear on the national coat of arms today. On the other: the sea — the cod, the dolphin, the capelin — the marine world that has fed, funded, and defined Iceland for over a thousand years. This three-coin set brings both stories together in a single package, spanning the 1 króna, 5 krónur, and 10 krónur denominations, all in the magnetic nickel plated steel composition introduced in the 1980s and minted at the Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom.

All three coins are Extra Fine (XF) condition. Combined weight: 16.50 g.

1 Króna — KM#27a

• Obverse: Bergrisi the giant, Landvættur of the North — one of Iceland’s four mythological protector spirits. Lettering: EIN KRÓNA / ÍSLAND
• Reverse: Face value above an Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) — blunt snout, chin barbel, fanned tail, lateral line in crisp relief. Lettering: 1 KR
• Composition: Nickel plated steel (magnetic)
• Weight: 4.00 g  |  Diameter: 21.50 mm  |  Thickness: 1.70 mm
• Edge: Reeded  |  Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
• Years issued: 1989–2011
• Catalog numbers: KM# 27a; Schön# 30a; SIEG# 27.2; Numista N#1549

5 Krónur — KM#28a

• Obverse: All four Landvættir together — Bergrisi the giant, Dreki the dragon, Gammur the eagle, and Griðungur the bull — the full coat of arms of Iceland. Lettering: FIMM KRÓNUR / ÍSLAND
• Reverse: Face value above two Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) — leaping in profile, bodies arched in dynamic symmetry, flukes trailing. Lettering: 5 KR
• Composition: Nickel plated steel (magnetic)
• Weight: 5.60 g  |  Diameter: 24.50 mm  |  Thickness: 1.78 mm
• Edge: Reeded  |  Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
• Years issued: 1996–2008
• Catalog numbers: KM# 28a; Schön# 31a; SIEG# 46.2; Numista N#1551

10 Krónur — KM#29.1a

• Obverse: All four Landvættir together — the same guardian composition as the 5 krónur, Iceland’s mythological coat of arms in full. Lettering: TÍU KRÓNUR / ÍSLAND
• Reverse: Face value above four Capelin fish (Mallotus villosus) — arranged in a schooling composition, bodies curved and overlapping, a linchpin species of the North Atlantic food web. Lettering: 10 KR
• Composition: Nickel plated steel (magnetic)
• Weight: 6.90 g  |  Diameter: 27.50 mm  |  Thickness: 1.78 mm
• Edge: Reeded  |  Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
• Years issued: 1996–2008
• Catalog numbers: KM# 29.1a; Schön# 32a; SIEG# 56.2; Numista N#7912

The Landvættir: Iceland’s Four Guardians

The Landvættir — “land spirits” in Old Norse — are the four supernatural protectors of Iceland, each assigned to a cardinal direction and a natural form. The story of their power comes from the Heimskringla, the 13th-century Norse chronicle: when the Danish king Haraldr Gráfeldr sent a sorcerer in the shape of a whale to scout Iceland for invasion, each spirit appeared in turn and drove him back.

• Bergrisi — the Mountain Giant of the North. Emerged from the mountains, massive and terrible, club in hand, flanked by a host of other giants.
• Gammur — the Great Eagle of the East. Appeared with wings spread so wide they touched the mountains on either side.
• Griðungur — the Bull of the West. Waded into the sea and bellowed so fiercely the sorcerer could not pass.
• Dreki — the Dragon of the South. Flew overhead breathing fire, followed by a swarm of serpents.

The invasion never came. Today all four appear on the coat of arms of Iceland — and on the obverse of the 5 and 10 krónur coins in this set. Bergrisi alone guards the 1 króna, standing watch over the smallest denomination as he once stood watch over the northern shore.

The Sea on the Reverse: Cod, Dolphin, and Capelin

Each coin in this set carries a different creature from Icelandic waters on its reverse — and together they form a portrait of the North Atlantic ecosystem that has sustained Iceland since the first Norse settlers arrived in 874 AD.

The Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) on the 1 króna is the most historically charged of the three. Cod built Iceland’s medieval economy, sustained its population through centuries of Danish rule, and triggered the Cod Wars — three confrontations with the United Kingdom from the 1950s through 1976 — that Iceland won, securing a 200-nautical-mile exclusive fishing zone and establishing itself as a sovereign force in international maritime law. The Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) on the 5 krónur represents the warmer, wilder side of Icelandic waters — two animals leaping in tandem, a design full of kinetic energy and oceanic freedom. And the Capelin (Mallotus villosus) on the 10 krónur — four fish schooling in tight formation — is the unsung engine of the food web: small, abundant, and critical to everything above it in the chain, from cod to seabirds to whales.

Three reverses. Three species. One ocean. The sea that made Iceland is the sea on these coins.

About the Issuer

• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Iceland
• Mint: Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom (1968–date)
• Currency: New króna (1980–date)
• Country: Republic of Iceland (1944–date)

Three coins. Three fish. Four guardians. One island that has always punched above its weight — mythologically, ecologically, and economically. Own the set.