2 øre

A bronze coin from 1876

The 2 øre was introduced in 1876, together with the 1 øre, as part of the bronze coinage of the new krone. The coin weighs 4 grams and measures 21 mm. Oscar II’s 2 øre shows the crowned Norwegian lion with an axe on a crowned shield, and the value on the reverse. It was struck until 1902. Under Haakon VII the coin soon received the king’s crowned monogram.

Iron in two wars

When copper became scarce during the First World War, the 2 øre was struck in iron in 1917–1920. The same happened under the German occupation, when the 2 øre was struck in iron in 1943–1945, without the royal crown and monogram. After the war bronze returned. Olav V’s 2 øre with a capercaillie was struck in 1958–1972, and Norges Bank lists it as no longer valid from 1 January 1975.

Colour, strike and grade

Bronze changes colour over time, from the original copper red to brown. Grading services such as NGC note this with RD (red), RB (red-brown) or BN (brown) after the grade, and coins with original red colour are the scarcest. A few coins have a proof-like strike with mirrored fields, which collectors look for. Cleaning destroys the natural surface and lowers the value, so untouched coins are preferred. For the iron wartime coins, absence of rust is what counts; examples are found under 5 øre.

For Oscar II’s 2 øre, the year matters, since some years were struck in much smaller numbers than others. Coins in mint state from the 1880s are hard to find, as most were used in daily trade.