Iceland KM#28a 5 kronur coin 1996-2008 UNC—Dolphins—4 Mythical Guardians of Iceland

Front

• Colors: silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background
• All four traditional protector spirits (Landvættir) of Iceland: Bergrisi the giant, Dreki the dragon, Gammur the eagle, and Griðungur the bull — depicted together in a single composition
• Lettering: FIMM KRÓNUR / ÍSLAND (year varies)

Back

• Colors: silver-gray nickel engraving; plain steel background
• Face value "5" above two Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) — depicted leaping in profile, bodies arched, beaks pointed forward; the pair is shown in dynamic symmetry, flukes trailing, rendered in crisp relief against the plain field
• Lettering: 5 KR

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: KM#28 (non-magnetic); KM#28a (magnetic) — this coin
• Catalog numbers: KM# 28a; Schön# 31a; SIEG# 46.2; Numista N#1551
• Composition: Nickel plated steel (magnetic)
• Weight: 5.60 g
• Diameter: 24.50 mm
• Thickness: 1.78 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: 1996–2008
• 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

Four Guardians, One Coin

The 1 króna coin chose one guardian. The 5 krónur chose all four. On the obverse of this coin, the complete assembly of Iceland's Landvættir stands together: Bergrisi the mountain giant of the north, Dreki the dragon of the south, Gammur the great eagle of the east, and Griðungur the bull of the west. Together they form the coat of arms of Iceland — four supernatural sentinels who, according to the Heimskringla, turned back a Danish sorcerer sent to scout the island for invasion. Each spirit appeared in its region and drove him into the sea.

That this full pantheon appears on the 5 krónur — a coin that passed through millions of Icelandic hands from 1996 to 2008 — is a quiet act of national pride. Iceland is a small country that has never forgotten its mythology. Every transaction was a reminder of who was watching.

The Dolphins of the North Atlantic

The Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is not the animal most people associate with Iceland — but it is a genuine presence in Icelandic waters, part of the rich marine ecosystem that has sustained the island for over a thousand years. On the reverse of this coin, two dolphins leap in tandem, bodies arched in mid-flight, a composition that conveys speed, intelligence, and the wild energy of the open ocean.

Iceland's relationship with the sea is total. The dolphins here are not decorative — they represent the broader marine world that surrounds and defines the island: the same waters that carried Viking longships, sustained generations of fishermen, and made Iceland wealthy enough to punch far above its weight on the world stage. Own this coin and you hold the whole ocean in miniature — the guardians above, the sea below, and a nation that has always known exactly where it stands.