{"product_id":"iceland-km-27a-1-krona-coin-1989-2011-unc-1","title":"Iceland KM#27a 1 krona coin 1989-2011 UNC—Cod—Bergrisi the Giant, Guardian of Iceland!","description":"\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bergrisi\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBergrisi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e the giant, one of the four traditional protector spirits (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Landv%C3%A6ttir\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eLandvættir\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e) of Iceland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLettering: \u003cem\u003eEIN KRÓNA \/ ÍSLAND\u003c\/em\u003e (year varies)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColors:\u003c\/strong\u003e silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFace value \"1\" above an \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Atlantic_cod\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAtlantic Cod\u003c\/a\u003e (\u003cem\u003eGadus morhua\u003c\/em\u003e) — depicted in profile, fins extended, tail fanned; the cod is shown with characteristic blunt snout, lateral line, and barbel visible beneath the chin, rendered in crisp relief against the plain field\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLettering: \u003cem\u003e1 KR\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eKM#27 (non-magnetic)\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cstrong\u003eKM#27a (magnetic) — this coin\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e KM# 27a; Schön# 30a; SIEG# 27.2; Numista N#1549\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Nickel plated steel (magnetic)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4.00 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDiameter:\u003c\/strong\u003e 21.50 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThickness:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.70 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShape:\u003c\/strong\u003e Round\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdge:\u003c\/strong\u003e Reeded\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTechnique:\u003c\/strong\u003e Milled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrientation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Medal alignment ↑↑\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e Central Bank of Iceland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMint:\u003c\/strong\u003e Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom (1968–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eYears issued:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1989–2011\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e New króna (1980–date)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial language:\u003c\/strong\u003e Icelandic\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Iceland\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e From Old Norse \u003cem\u003eÍsland\u003c\/em\u003e — \"Ice Land,\" named by Norse settler Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson in the 9th century after seeing ice-filled fjords in the north\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e Reykjavík (city pop. ~140,000; metro ~230,000)\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Old Norse \u003cem\u003eReykjavík\u003c\/em\u003e — \"Smoky Bay,\" named for the steam rising from geothermal hot springs seen by first settler Ingólfr Arnarson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~380,000 (UN 2024) — comparable to New Orleans, LA\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 103,000 km² (39,769 mi²) — comparable to Kentucky or Portugal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e):\u003c\/strong\u003e ~$75,000 (one of the highest in the world)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fish and fish products, aluminum, ferrosilicon, diatomite, tourism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e Island nation — no land borders; surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial\/spoken language:\u003c\/strong\u003e Icelandic\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Icelanders\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eIcelanders\u003c\/a\u003e (~93%), other European and Asian minorities\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemberships:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_Nations\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations\u003c\/a\u003e (1945); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NATO\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNATO\u003c\/a\u003e (founding member, 1949); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Council_of_Europe\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCouncil of Europe\u003c\/a\u003e (1949); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/European_Economic_Area\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEEA\u003c\/a\u003e (1994); \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Schengen_Area\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSchengen Area\u003c\/a\u003e (2001)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Settlement by Norse Vikings (874 AD); Althing (parliament) established 930 AD — one of the world's oldest; Norwegian rule (1262–1397); Danish rule (1397–1944); Republic of Iceland declared June 17, 1944\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIceland Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIceland has no standing army — it is one of only a handful of sovereign nations with no military forces\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDespite its name, Iceland is remarkably green, while Greenland is largely covered in ice — a deliberate Viking misdirection, some historians argue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIceland runs almost entirely on renewable energy: ~100% of electricity from geothermal and hydropower\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Icelandic phone book is sorted by first name, not last — because Icelanders use a patronymic system, not hereditary surnames\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIceland has no mosquitoes — the climate and geology make it inhospitable to them\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 2008 financial crisis hit Iceland harder per capita than almost any other country; three major banks collapsed, and the króna lost half its value — this very coin was circulating through that chaos\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Giant Who Guards the Mountain\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBergrisi\u003c\/strong\u003e — the Mountain Giant — is the \u003cem\u003eLandvættur\u003c\/em\u003e of the North, one of four supernatural guardians said to protect Iceland from all who approach with hostile intent. The story comes from the \u003cem\u003eHeimskringla\u003c\/em\u003e: when the Danish king Haraldr Gráfeldr sent a sorcerer to scout Iceland for invasion, each of the four spirits appeared and drove him back. Bergrisi emerged from the northern mountains, massive and terrible, a club in hand, flanked by a host of other giants. The invasion never came.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese four spirits — the eagle of the east, the dragon of the south, the bull of the west, and Bergrisi of the north — are so central to Icelandic identity that they appear on the \u003cstrong\u003ecoat of arms of Iceland\u003c\/strong\u003e to this day. Bergrisi alone was chosen for the obverse of the 1 króna coin, standing watch over the smallest denomination in the pocket of every Icelander for over two decades. \u003cstrong\u003eA guardian on a coin.\u003c\/strong\u003e There is something quietly powerful about that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Fish That Built a Nation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eAtlantic Cod\u003c\/strong\u003e (\u003cem\u003eGadus morhua\u003c\/em\u003e) is not merely a fish on a coin — it is the reason Iceland exists as a prosperous modern state. For centuries, cod was Iceland's primary export, its economic engine, and the source of its geopolitical leverage. The \u003cstrong\u003eCod Wars\u003c\/strong\u003e of the 20th century — three separate confrontations between Iceland and the United Kingdom over fishing rights, from the 1950s through 1976 — were among the most consequential territorial disputes in postwar European history. Iceland, a nation of fewer than 250,000 people at the time, faced down a NATO ally and won, extending its exclusive fishing zone to 200 nautical miles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cod on the reverse of this coin is rendered with quiet dignity: blunt snout, distinctive chin barbel, fanned tail, the lateral line arcing cleanly across its flank. It is not decorative. It is a \u003cstrong\u003estatement of national identity\u003c\/strong\u003e — the same fish that fed Viking settlers, funded medieval trade with England, and gave Iceland the economic independence to declare a republic in 1944. Own this coin and you hold a small piece of that story.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Unbranded","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52109907886391,"sku":"ISKM27aU","price":1.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/KM27ao_59bc2f7b-f7b0-43cd-9f5f-c6abdb4325c1.jpg?v=1778327330","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/iceland-km-27a-1-krona-coin-1989-2011-unc-1","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}