A rare silver coin minted during the reign of a famous Viking king has been discovered in a massive hoard in Norway that now comprises 5,500 coins and counting.
The coin is inscribed with the name of the Norwegian king Olaf Haraldsson, who ruled from 1015 to 1028 and, as St. Olaf or "Olaf the Holy," is considered the national saint of Norway.
Fewer than 20 coins minted during Olaf's reign have ever been discovered, and the newfound coin is a "national treasure," according to a statement from the University of Oslo's Museum of Cultural History.
"Here we have a coin bearing the king's portrait and a cross, with another cross on the reverse," University of Oslo coin expert Svein Gullbekk said in the statement. "It is a Christianisation coin on a grand scale."
Olaf is credited with establishing Christianity in Norway — an early step toward its full conversion about a generation later.
"We can see how King Olaf used coinage to legitimise the new faith and to esta...
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