A metal detectorist in Norway dismissed a rare 900-year-old silver coin as a button, before researchers discovered it was a unique piece belonging to Magnus Barefoot (also known as Magnus Barefoot), the warrior ruler often said to be Norway’s last silver coin. viking King.
The coin, found in a field near Utstein Monastery in south-west Norway, dates to Barefoot’s reign from 1093 to 1103. This coin is the first of its type discovered on Norwegian soil. Translated statement of December 2025 From the University of Stavanger Museum of Archaeology.
“It’s a fascinating idea that we can have a completely different view of Magnus Berfot’s coin in addition to just one big treasure, and it all underlines the importance of the new discoveries,” museum representatives said in the statement.
the button that wasn’t there
Morten Eck, a metal detectorist, found the object in April 2025 plow layer In the soil, about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) below the surface.
One side was shiny and looked silver, but the other side was covered in copper and had a black spot in the middle, making it look like a button. Eck took it home and placed it with other buttons, worn-out modern coins, and pieces of scrap metal he had collected.
Only a few months later, when Eck showed his treasure to his fellow metal detectorists, he noticed that part of the silver looked like a medieval coin. Its design resembled an illustration in an 1865 reference work “Coins of Norgay from the Middle Ages,” by C.I. Shive.
The detectorists then contacted the Archaeological Museum of the University of Stavanger, where researchers took a closer look.
Get the world’s hottest discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Close-up of the other side of a coin that looks like a button.
(Image credit: H. Hallund, Archaeological Museum, UIS)
a coin with a second life
Experts found this coin strange because someone had made changes in it after minting. A copper plate was placed on one side and the outer edge of the coin was folded around it. Two round marks on the edge show where a chain or loop would have been attached, suggesting that the coin was later worn as jewellery.
Researchers could remove the copper plate to see what was underneath, but doing so could damage the delicate condition of the object.
The artifact’s unique transformation “reveals something about people’s connection to what was initially a coin,” museum representatives said in the statement.
The griffin design is visible in an X-ray image of the coin.
(Image credit: Hej Hallund, Archaeological Museum, UIS.)
The team X-rayed the coin to examine its covered portion. Scan revealed a griffinA mythological creature with the body of a lion and the characteristics of a bird of prey. This motif is sometimes interpreted as the lion of St. Mark, a Christian symbol, but the museum notes that the animal on these coins resembles a griffin. In medieval Christian art, The griffin was used as a symbol of the dual nature of Christ As both human and divine.
The visible side revealed a “cross-over-cross” shape, with double-rowed sides and small semicircles or bowl shapes at the ends. The combination of the cross and the griffin is what makes the coin so rare.
“The two-sided coins bearing the combination of griffin and cross over cross are known from only four copies,” the statement said. sandur hoardingFound in the Faroe Islands in 1863, and three others from there Denmark’s Morstad ReserveWhich was found last spring and contains about 5,000 coins.
“The rarity of such coins may tell us something about the extent of Magnus Berfot’s mintage,” museum representatives said in the statement.
In total, about 100 coins spread across 12 finds date from the reign of Magnus Barefoot, according to the museum. This makes each new example valuable for understanding how coins were produced and circulated in Norway in the late Viking Age and early Middle Ages.
Magnus Barefoot is sometimes called Magnus Barelegs, thanks to she wore a kilt. He became king in 1093 after the death of his father, Olav Kyrre (also known as Olaf III of Norway), whose reign was remembered as a relatively peaceful period. Barefoot took a different path. like your grandfather Harald Hardradanorwegian king assassinated Battle of Stamford Bridge In 1066, Barefoot made his reputation through warfare.
Barefoot spent most of his reign election campaign abroad. He sought to expand Norwegian power over the western sea routes, including the Isle of Man and parts of the Irish Sea. The museum notes that it was linked to the saying that a king was “meant for honor and glory, not a long life.” His death reflected this, as he died at the age of about 30, in 1103, when he was ambushed and murdered during a campaign in Ireland.
The coin points to more than Barefoot’s military ambitions. According to the museum, it also reflects one of his home improvements. first norwegian ruler had reduced the amount of silver in its coins, but Barefoot reinstated the high silver standard, with coins containing about 90% silver.
It is impossible to know whether the coin was lost at the Ustein Monastery during Barefoot’s lifetime. Since it was turned into jewelry at some point, it may have been in circulation years or even generations after it stopped being used as money.
See with us how much you know about the Ancient Norsemen Viking Quiz!