Iceland KM#31 SCARCE 50 krona coin 1987-2005 XF—Crab—Giant—Dragon

The 50 Krónur is the golden coin of Iceland’s circulation series — literally. Cast in warm nickel brass rather than the steel of the lower denominations, it catches the light differently, carries more weight in the hand, and features one of the most unexpected reverse subjects in Icelandic numismatics: the Shore Crab. On the obverse, all four Landvættir stand guard together. This is a coin that rewards a second look.

Front

• Colors: warm golden-brass engraving; brass 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, the full coat of arms of Iceland
• Lettering: FIMMTÍU KRÓNUR / ÍSLAND (year varies)

Back

• Colors: warm golden-brass engraving; brass background
• Face value "50" below a Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) — depicted from above in dorsal view, carapace detailed, claws extended outward, legs splayed; the crab’s broad, fan-shaped shell and characteristic five lateral spines are rendered in crisp relief
• Lettering: 50 KR

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: KM#31 — this coin (no magnetic variety)
• Catalog numbers: KM# 31; Schön# 33; SIEG# 66; Numista N#1550
• Composition: Nickel brass (70% Copper, 24.5% Zinc, 5.5% Nickel)
• Weight: 8.25 g
• Diameter: 23.00 mm
• Thickness: 2.60 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: 1987–2005
• 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 50 Krónur shares its obverse with the 5 and 10 Krónur — all four Landvættir assembled together, the complete mythological coat of arms of Iceland. Bergrisi the mountain giant of the north, Dreki the dragon of the south, Gammur the great eagle of the east, Griðungur the bull of the west. According to the Heimskringla, these four spirits turned back a Danish sorcerer sent to scout Iceland for invasion, each appearing in its region and driving him into the sea.

What sets the 50 Krónur apart is what it’s made of. Where the lower denominations are steel, this coin is nickel brass — a warm, golden alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel that gives it a distinctly different weight and color. In the hand, it feels like the denomination it represents: substantial. The guardians look better in gold.

The Crab Nobody Expected

Of all the creatures Iceland could have put on its 50 Krónur, the Shore Crab (Carcinus maenas) is perhaps the most surprising. It is not a fish. It is not a whale. It is not a seabird. It is a crab — small, sideways-walking, armored, and utterly at home in the cold intertidal zones of the North Atlantic. And yet there it is, rendered in careful detail on the reverse of Iceland’s highest everyday circulation coin for nearly two decades.

Carcinus maenas is one of the most widely distributed crustaceans in the world — native to European and North African coastlines, and now an invasive species on nearly every other continent, carried in ballast water and on ship hulls. In Icelandic waters it is a genuine presence, part of the intertidal ecosystem that lines the island’s volcanic shores. On this coin it is shown from above, carapace spread, claws wide, legs splayed — a creature that looks like it owns the rock it stands on. Own this coin and you hold the whole Icelandic shoreline in miniature — the guardians above, the sea creature below, and a nation that has always known its coast is its identity.