So far, archaeologists have discovered 2,970 silver coins dating to between the 980s and 1040s that were minted under famous European rulers like Knut the Great, Æthelred the Unready, and Harald Hardrada.
Innlandet County AuthorityThe “Mørstad Hoard” includes 1,000-year-old coins from England, Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
On April 10, 2026, metal detectorists Vegard Sørlie and Rune Sætre were searching a field near the village of Rena in eastern Norway when they stumbled upon 19 silver coins. They immediately alerted the Innlandet County Authority, and officials rushed to the site.
Over the next two weeks, archaeologists unearthed nearly 3,000 coins dating back to the Viking Age. The so-called Mørstad Hoard has now become the largest trove of Viking coins ever discovered in Norway, and it’s revealing important information about a time of great change in the Nordic country’s history.
The Stunning Discovery Of A 1,000-Year-Old Viking Coin Hoard In Norway
When Vegard Sørlie and Rune Sætre set out with their metal detectors on April 10, they weren’t expecting to make any significant discoveries. On a whim, they asked a landowner near Rena if they could search their field — one that no metal detectorist had investigated before.
After receiving permission, the men began their hunt and soon uncovered a silver coin. Then, they found another. And another. After digging up 19 coins, Sørlie and Sætre decided to call the Innlandet County Authority.
Archaeologists quickly arrived on the scene, including May-Tove Smiseth. As she explained to Science Norway, “I jokingly said it would be nice if we found a few more coins to make the discovery even bigger. But the detectors never stopped beeping!”
Anne Engesveen, Innlandet County AuthorityRune Sætre, one of the metal detectorists who discovered the Viking coin hoard.
As of April 29, archaeologists have found 2,970 silver coins, making the Mørstad Hoard the largest in Norwegian history. According to Norway’s Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo, the second biggest hoard, which was uncovered in the mid-19th century, contained 1,849 coins. What’s more, no trove of such significance has been discovered since 1950, when 964 coins were found in the city of Trondheim.
“This is a historic discovery,” said Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen in a statement from the Innlandet County Authority. “The fact that it is also from the Viking Age makes it even more spectacular.”
Archaeologists are still excavating the site and hope to find even more coins, all while experts at the Museum of Natural History examine the treasures that have already been uncovered.
What The Mørstad Hoard Is Revealing About Norway’s Viking Age History
So far, an analysis of the coins has confirmed that they were deposited in the field around 1047, during the reign of Harald Hardrada.
The majority of the artifacts are English and German coins, which were “the euro or dollar of the Viking Age,” explained University of Oslo professor Svein Gullbekk. A few others are Danish or Norwegian. In addition to Hardrada, they were minted under rulers like Knut the Great and Æthelred II. According to Gullbekk, “The coin hoard includes coins from the 980s to the 1040s.”
May-Tove Smiseth, Innlandet County AuthorityA coin depicting the head of Æthelred II (also known as Æthelred the Unready) with the inscription “EDELRED.”
During this time period, eastern Norway was extracting large amounts of iron ore from bogs and exporting it to Europe, leading to the circulation of a wide variety of foreign currencies. Then, when Hardrada took the throne in 1046, he established the country’s first national minting system.
“The hoard was deposited right at the beginning of this development,” said Gullbekk. “So not only is the discovery itself extraordinary, but it’s also connected to a very interesting period of Norwegian history.”
It’s unclear why exactly the coins were placed in the field, but they were likely stored there to protect the wealth of a family or individual from thieves or war. Because there are no written records from the time, it’s also unknown what the purchasing power of the hoard would have been. However, experts speculate that it may have been enough money to buy a farm.
Innlandet County AuthorityArchaeologists have uncovered 2,970 silver coins over the course of two weeks.
Smiseth told the Innlandet County Authority, “This is a truly unique discovery of the kind one might only experience once in an entire career. To be present when something like this comes to light is simply a great experience, both professionally and personally.”
She also praised Sørlie and Sætre for their role in the discovery and their cooperation with officials. “This is an exemplary case of how it should be done,” Smiseth said.
While the search for additional coins is ongoing, the Mørstad Hoard is already the most significant discovery of its kind in Norwegian history. “This is both a national and international event,” Hanna Geiran, the Director General of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, told the Innlandet County Authority. “[F]ew things capture people’s imagination as much as the Viking Age in Norway.”
After reading about the largest Viking coin hoard ever discovered in Norway, learn about history’s most famous Vikings. Then, discover the story of the Varangian Guard, the Viking warriors who served as the personal army of the Byzantine emperor.
