Four Early Modern Coin Hoards from Norway

Abstract

Metal detecting is an increasingly popular hobby in Norway, and has been responsible for a significant growth in the number of ancient and historic coins unearthed in the country in recent decades.2 In accordance with the 1978 Cultural Heritage Act (Kulturminneloven), all finds of coins predating 1650 are designated as state property, and detectorists are obliged to report discoveries to their regional archaeologist before transfer to the relevant university museum for conservation, cataloguing, and permanent inclusion in the collections.3 This article publishes four recent finds of early modern coin hoards unearthed by Norwegian detectorists, which now form part of the collections of the Coin Cabinet of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo.