Iceland KM#27a 1 krona coin 1989-2011 UNC—Cod—Bergrisi the Giant, Guardian of Iceland!

Front

• Colors: silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background
• Bergrisi the giant, one of the four traditional protector spirits (Landvættir) of Iceland
• Lettering: EIN KRÓNA / ÍSLAND (year varies)

Back

• Colors: silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background
• Face value "1" above an Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) — 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
• Lettering: 1 KR

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: KM#27 (non-magnetic); KM#27a (magnetic) — this coin
• Catalog numbers: KM# 27a; Schön# 30a; SIEG# 27.2; Numista N#1549
• Composition: Nickel plated steel (magnetic)
• Weight: 4.00 g
• Diameter: 21.50 mm
• Thickness: 1.70 mm
• Shape: Round
• Edge: Reeded
• Technique: Milled
• Orientation: Medal alignment ↑↑
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Iceland
• Mint: Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom (1968–date)
• Years issued: 1989–2011
• Currency: New króna (1980–date)
• Official language: Icelandic

About Iceland

• Origin of name: From Old Norse Ísland — "Ice Land," named by Norse settler Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson in the 9th century after seeing ice-filled fjords in the north
• Capital: Reykjavík (city pop. ~140,000; metro ~230,000)
  • Origin of name: Old Norse Reykjavík — "Smoky Bay," named for the steam rising from geothermal hot springs seen by first settler Ingólfr Arnarson
• Population: ~380,000 (UN 2024) — comparable to New Orleans, LA
• Area: 103,000 km² (39,769 mi²) — comparable to Kentucky or Portugal
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$75,000 (one of the highest in the world)
• Main exports: Fish and fish products, aluminum, ferrosilicon, diatomite, tourism
• Borders: Island nation — no land borders; surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean
• Official/spoken language: Icelandic
• Ethnicities: Icelanders (~93%), other European and Asian minorities
• Memberships: United Nations (1945); NATO (founding member, 1949); Council of Europe (1949); EEA (1994); Schengen Area (2001)
• Sovereignty: 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

Iceland Unfiltered

• Iceland has no standing army — it is one of only a handful of sovereign nations with no military forces
• Despite its name, Iceland is remarkably green, while Greenland is largely covered in ice — a deliberate Viking misdirection, some historians argue
• Iceland runs almost entirely on renewable energy: ~100% of electricity from geothermal and hydropower
• The Icelandic phone book is sorted by first name, not last — because Icelanders use a patronymic system, not hereditary surnames
• Iceland has no mosquitoes — the climate and geology make it inhospitable to them
• The 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

The Giant Who Guards the Mountain

Bergrisi — the Mountain Giant — is the Landvættur of the North, one of four supernatural guardians said to protect Iceland from all who approach with hostile intent. The story comes from the Heimskringla: 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.

These 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 coat of arms of Iceland 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. A guardian on a coin. There is something quietly powerful about that.

The Fish That Built a Nation

The Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) 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 Cod Wars 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.

The 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 statement of national identity — 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.