The Mørstad Hoard, Norway’s largest ever Viking Age coin find, is to be placed on display at the Historical Museum in Oslo. The hoard, which was found earlier this year in Innlandet County, will be available for public viewing this November.

In related news, the research team analyzing the hoard has identified an extremely rare coin in the collection from the reign of Saint Olaf the Holy.

The Historical Museum in Oslo. Source: Historical Museum

Ready for viewing

The  Mørstad Hoard was discovered in April 2026 near the village of Rena in eastern Norway. It is the largest collection of Viking Age coins ever found in the country, with 5,500 coins identified in total.

Over the past few months, the research team has been working hard on cleaning, documenting and conserving the items found in the collection.

Now, the Historical Museum in Oslo has announced that a selection of coins will be placed on display in a temporary exhibition. The exhibition will take place from November 20, 2026 to March 28, 2027 at the Oslo Coin Cabinet – part of the main museum complex.

A true rarity

As detailed by the museum, the selection will include coins from Scandinavia and other minted in England, the Holy Roman Empire and various other locations across Europe.

One particularly notable item is a coin minted for Olaf Haraldsson, also known as Saint Olaf the Holy. Even though Olaf ruled Norway for 13 years, from 1015 to 1028, very few coins have been found with his likeness. This coin is one of only four of its type in existence.

The collection is thought to have been assembled around 1046 or 1047. The display will also feature several coins struck for Harald Hardrada, Olaf’s half-brother.

In the meantime, work continues on assessing the individual coins of the collection. It is hoped further analysis of the hoard will help us learn more about the trade routes of the Viking Age, Norway’s conversion to Christianity and the formation of the kingdom.

 

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Saint Olaf Viking Age coins Historical Museum Oslo Mørstad Hoard
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Jonathan Bennett
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Jonathan Bennett is a freelance writer and translator from the UK. He has had a passionate interest in the Vikings ever since a family trip to Denmark as a seven-year-old, where he came face to face with a stunning Viking longship and plundered a superb Viking shield and axe from the museum gift shop. After studying at the Norse stronghold of York, Jonathan moved to Leeds and later Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, before settling down in Budapest.